Baby it’s cold outside

Day 1; raining and cold.  Not miserable, but just damp enough to make you want a really good bowl of soup.  None of us brought umbrellas, but we’ve got 3 new ones now.  The forecast called for rain on day two also, but guess what?  Sunshine on my shoulders…  for the rest of our time here in Seoul.  It’s like the opposite of washing your car.  We bought umbrellas and that guaranteed the sun would shine.  It’s beautiful out.  But with that, the temps dropped at least 10 degrees colder today and another 5 tomorrow.

I have become quite the baby, when it comes to the cold.  My blood has thinned and I find myself wearing three layers of clothes.  I knew it would be cold here, but it’s difficult packing for 3 separate climate zones, just for the one trip.  Seoul is “dead-of winter”.  China will be much like San Diego and Okinawa will be like a cool Hawaii.  Not complaining, just explaining.

It’s been real easy getting our 10,000+ steps per day.  Seoul is a very good walking town.  It’s mostly flat in town, with some mild hills and there’s always something to look at.  And the shopping…….  All this shopping is making me hungry.  And the food…..  All this food is making me fat.  And the walking….  (It’s a vicious cycle).

We’ve spent the past few days eating Bibimbap, Korean BBQ, Vegan Monk, Italian, Irish Bar fare and of course Street Food.  It’s all been pretty darn good.  There are so many restaurants here.  You just look for the ones with the longest lines or, in my case, the best reviews on Trip Advisor.  With an open mind, you really can’t go wrong.

Christmas here is a pleasant surprise.  You wouldn’t expect to see it celebrated so highly, in a predominantly Buddhist Country.  But Maddie did a little research and found that about 30% of the County is Christian (or some faucet thereof).  So they really get into the sprint of the holiday.  And I gotta tell ya, they do a really good job of it.

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary, so I have a little something special planned for Laura.  I’ll post those pix tomorrow.  Until then, my official photographer (Madison), took these shots for your viewing pleasure.