Pork Belly BBQ, followed by a good cup at LIDI and PAUL

An evening of yummie food, good conversations and laughter. When leaving a Korean barbecue restaurant, you spray each other to get the smell out! That restaurant did brisk business and I was the only foreigner - good!

Impressions from Busan

It's fun and interesting here with my friend Insu and his girlfriend and family. The giant apartment buildings are part of a small country that has lots of mountains and 50 million people.

Café Essay 68 in Busan – enjoy Sun Young’s hospitality and coffee she roasts herself!

Today my friend Insu took me to Sun Young’s Essay 68 - 68 means just the right temperature in Celsius. I was introduced to a feast around coffee. Apart from a delicious latte, I learned how she selects the green beans and her roasting process. Sun Young also demonstrated how to brew coffee with a… Continue reading Café Essay 68 in Busan – enjoy Sun Young’s hospitality and coffee she roasts herself!

Korea’s History and Present at Gyeongbok Palace

It was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, built in 1395. I felt humbled by the enormity and beauty of the structures, and by their surroundings. Korea’s very own history is long and substantive. A lot of folks were out on this beautiful day, many of them in rented Hanbok traditional clothing. Rascal… Continue reading Korea’s History and Present at Gyeongbok Palace

Unplugged Concert at ANOV Art Gallery

This airbnb experience was fantastic! Eun Ji, the organizer, is part of the KunstBloom art collective. It includes a small gallery in Hannam-Dong, at which she arranges monthly concerts of upcoming musicians. Tonight’s first performer was Bad Dovi, who sang ballads reflecting human struggles that he all wrote himself. The second act blew me away:… Continue reading Unplugged Concert at ANOV Art Gallery

Back at Unplugged Acoustic Café for a memorable Concert

Yesterday Zozno introduced me to this venue, during our musical walk through Hongdae. Today I was back for a concert. Upon buying my ticket, I en-countered the growling poodle again…..guess where? There is that poodle again! The music spanned a wide range of styles. The performers engaged the audience not only with their music, but… Continue reading Back at Unplugged Acoustic Café for a memorable Concert

“Der Deutsche Garten” – in Seoul ?!?!

My curious nature led my up to the third floor - where the Korean behind the counter greeted me in German. Do I look it or what? He told me that this is a private German language school. In English the name means The German Garden. Most students are learning German because they want to… Continue reading “Der Deutsche Garten” – in Seoul ?!?!

About Korean Café Culture

Someone told me that Korea is the third largest importer of coffee beans! And yet, for Canadians it’s odd: My intense hunt for a café that is open at 7 or 8 in the morning was a failure - in Hongdae of all locations. The café scene here is mind-boggling, in terms of their creative… Continue reading About Korean Café Culture

Amazing Tour through Hongdae’s Indie Music Scene – by Zozno

Zozno is an accomplished indie musician based in Hongdae. Hongdae is not only the hip place to be in Seoul - the café scene alone is amazing - but also home to a cluster of indie musicians and their support networks. Tourists pulling their suitcases through Hongdae don’t have a clue about this fantastic music… Continue reading Amazing Tour through Hongdae’s Indie Music Scene – by Zozno

See You again Gangneung!

I will be back to see the people again who have been SOO good to me. To try out more cafés. Hopefully my wife will be with me then so we (....er...she) can cook the fish we buy at Jumunjin Fish Market. Lastly, to see all the things I wanted to but couldn't because my… Continue reading See You again Gangneung!