Months ago I had written about visiting the Dongdaemun Market, the giant wholesale market that sold everything from buttons to books to shoes. I mistakenly lumped the Namdaemun Market into the description, but the two are actually very separate, selling completely different things and located actually pretty far from each other.
Namdaemun Market is one of the oldest continually running markets in South Korea and one of the largest retail markets in Seoul. The streets in which the market is located were built in a time when cars were not prevalent, so the market itself is not accessible by car. The main methods of transporting goods into and out of the market are by motorcycle and hand-drawn carts. It occupies many city blocks, which are blocked off from most car traffic due to the prevalence of parking congestion in the area. The market dates back to 1414, during the reign of King Taejong, as a government managed marketplace. In 1608, King Seonjo set up the office in the district to manage the tributes of rice, cloth and money. A trading marketplace took its form around that time and commercial activities flourished as traders set up various shops. Trade was active in grains, fish, fruit, and miscellaneous goods. Today, there is no lack of fashion apparel items and knock-off designer accessories, to kitchen supplies, cosmetics and ginseng. Besides shopping, there is also a maze of roofed alleyways that offer up any traditional Korean soul food you may be craving from boiling stews to hot tea.
From the inside looking out.
Namdaemun looks pretty much like every other outdoor market in Seoul.
So this is where they keep Christmas....
While you can find Christmas decorations at stores like Emart and Kim's Club,
the selection was much more extensive at Namdaemun, and available at wholesale prices.
We got to see Santa :)
Trees of all shapes and sizes, pre-decorated...and snowmen wrapped up ready to go....
such an efficient way to decorate!
This is better than Hobby Lobby....
...or just like Hobby Lobby, but on steroids.
In search of the spiced tea.
The alleys are lined with tiny dining room sized restaurants,
with grills and cook tops in the alleys.
with grills and cook tops in the alleys.
The restaurants usually serve one dish.
Simple, hearty and always boiling hot.
Found the tea!
RCP new of this hole in the wall because he had been taken here after a meeting with a client.
RCP new of this hole in the wall because he had been taken here after a meeting with a client.
Everyone chats and knows each other.
One item on the menu - a cup of tea, for $4.00
The tea tasted like mulled cider, with about 2 extra spoonfulls of spices.
It was a little thick, super spicy with cinnamon and topped with walnuts,
pine nuts and jujube nuts (the red things).
Then it was time for some dumplings, fresh out of the steamer.
Let's make a deal....
This is the only picture I have of any apparel booths just because
it all pretty much looks like this, with any style of clothing you could want
from hiking gear to fur to socks. There were lots and lots of sock carts.
And after you pick up some socks, you can have a snack of salted silk worm larva....
This is another version of how silk worm larva is also served, street-side...
this particular version tends to smell like dog food, but it is a very popular snack in Korea.
We weren't quite sure what any of these little snacks were,
but we think they were all of marine origin.
Apparently tailors are also available at the market.
I bet this is a whole lot less expensive than taking it to the department stores,
which has been recommended.
Most dry cleaners here don't offer tailoring or alternation services like back home.
A rogue Christmas tree.
After we left Namdaemun....
Not sure if this was just for Christmas or permanent, but how fabulous would this look in a yard!
The Hot Custard-Filled Bread Man.
Again, how cool would these be hanging in your yard?!
I'm assuming this was for a book drive.
And then we found Michael the Archangel in the subway on the way home
(or Gabriel, depending on what name your religion calls him).
We then ended the day with a Lunar Eclipse....
Every three years a lunar eclipse occurs and we were lucky enough to have been able to view it at a decent hour. We had actually been home for a couple of hours, myself already in my p.j.'s ready for a movie, but RCP made us go out to watch it. So I put some clothes on over my p.j's and we went out into the street. It was cloudy so there was nothing to see so we went for some coffee....me in my p.j.'s with real clothes on top and my puffy coat and boots since it was 25 degrees....I kind of felt like a homeless person. When we left the coffee shop the sky was clear and we stood out in the street again and watched it. Dad, aren't you proud?
Sorry, the camera couldn't pick up the eclipse, so I captured it being watched.
