Spring Flowers in Bloom

Spring is finally here and you can see it everywhere! The trees and shrubs are slowly turning green, grass is returning, and the flowers are finally in bloom! The flowers are probably the pinnacle sign that spring is finally here. Everywhere you go flowers are in bloom. This week I just walked around campus and nearby Sinchon to see the beautiful spring flowers. I would return to Yeouido, but it's too far and midterms are quickly approaching.

One of the first flowers to bloom on campus. Everyone went crazy and would take pictures near the pink bushes of flowers

One of the most unusual things I've noticed was the plant steroids. Okay, it may not be steroids but it's supposedly suppose to help the trees grow back faster...sounds like steroids to me.

Cherry Blossoms are in bloom all around campus!

Beautiful Sinchon Cherry Blossoms at night

Thanks Nature Cafe: A Sheep Cafe

You may have heard of cat and dog cafes, (no eating of cat's or dog's whatsoever) where you can enjoy a beverage or snack of your choice in the company of animals roaming around the cafe, but have you ever heard of a sheep cafe? 

I recently heard of this place from a friend who showed me a clip of a Korean television show. The show featured a member of Super Junior and his experience in visiting the sheep cafe. I've been to a dog cafe and after discovering they had a sheep cafe I decided I HAD to come here.

Thanks Nature Cafe is the name of the famous sheep cafe but can be quite hard to find. It's on a straight road on a slight hill that leads up to the front gate of Hongik University. On the straight road there's Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Cafe Bene, and numerous restaurants on the left hand side of the road as you're walking up towards  Hongik University. 

The Sheep Cafe is located on your left hand side (walking up towards Hongik University) and is located on the basement floor. While you're on the main street look for this green sign.

Then go down the stairs and voilà! You're at Thanks Nature Cafe

Thanks Nature Cafe is themed to represent nature. As you walk down towards the basement floor you can see a beautifully decorated interior that reflects the quiet, calm, and peaceful qualities of nature. There's a patio area outside with a tree and potted plants and the main attraction is the two sheep that occupy the cage under the tree.

Inside is just as beautiful as the patio, There's flowers and plants at each table, more potted plants, and even a tree growing out of a table! 

Another reason people come here is for the waffles and beverages. Thanks Nature Cafe serves a nice selection of tea's and other beverages, but what stands out is the fact they only use natural sweeteners. Their hot beverages come out at a perfect temperature, not scalding hot yet, not nuke-warm/cold. But my favorite part of this cafe was the waffles! On the Korean television show it showed that their specialty is their strawberry waffle with ice cream. A powder sugared waffle with all organic strawberries on a layer of whipped cream topped with vanilla ice cream, a chocolate drizzle, and almonds. 

The most delicious waffle yet!

Thanks Nature Cafe also has two sheep at all times (except when they're being taken out for a walk) and you can feed them at selected times of the day. The sheep are also very tame and friendly, so you can pet them without being bitten. Just keep in mind that the feeding times may not always be on time. When I went, the manager brought out the bowls of grass 25 minutes before the scheduled feeding times! But if you see the bowl of grass in the cage you can stick your hand in, pull out some grass, and feed it to the sheep yourself. 

Thanks Nature Cafe Sheep feeding times. I heard that they no longer have the 10:30 feeding time, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Don't forget to come early! 

Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival

Yeouido Park is a beautiful recreational area on a small island near the center part of Seoul. Every year around this time they hold a cherry blossom festival where thousands of people flock to catch a glimpse of the beautiful flowers. It's basically a sign that Spring is finally approaching.

During this time people young and old visit Yeouido to take pictures or have picnics in the park near the Han river. This Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival usually lasts for 2 weeks and at the festival they have live performances, music, traditional Korean dancers, arts and crafts, and a variety of local vendors. I went during the ending of the festival, but there were hardly any cherry blossoms at all. So I'll probably need to re-visit this area in a week or so.

I just found out that they extended the festival because majority of the cherry blossoms have yet to bloom.

Beautiful flower arrangements are scattered throughout Yeouido Park

People having a picnic

Some of the only blooming Cherry Blossoms

Artists at work

Little did I know a huge K-pop performance occurred right after I left...I misted out on Shinhwa, Shinee, Sistar, and 4minute =(

Pro Volleyball Game 대한항공 VS 삼성

Today I went to Dowon and experienced my first pro volleyball game in Korea. The match was apparently one of the championship games between the Jumbos and the Pink Spiders. Both are Korean teams and apparently there are many district teams that play against each other in this big tournament. I thought the names of the teams were a little odd but it didn't really matter.

The stadium was packed! It was literally a full house. But it was definitely worth it. The one difference between American volleyball games and Korean volleyball games is that Korean games are a lot more fun. There's cheering, shouting, chanting, and singing throughout the game. Also there's a main guy with drums and holds signs of the player who's going to serve the ball, so everyone chants the players name before the serve. Also you get to see the cheerleaders perform a lot more than at US games. Overall I thought this was a very fun and enjoyable experience. Who knew that volleyball in Korea was so different. 

Almost the entire crowd was Jumbo fans (since it was the Jumbo's home field)

Opposing teams cheering banners

Some cheerleaders using a slingshot to pass out prizes

Signs of the names of each player. 

Yonsei Volleyball Club group pic

Fishy Wonders At Noryangjin Fish Market

Today I had one mission, to visit Noryangjin fish market. After arriving at Noryangjin station it was quite a daunting task to find the huge fish market. But eventually I found it! Hidden on the other side of a massive bridge lies Noryangjin fish market.

Noryangjin fish market is a massive fish market and the largest fish market in Seoul. The fish market comprises of about 700 vendors selling fish from ports all over Korea and is open 24 hours a day throughout the year. You can attend wholesale auctions from 1am-6pm (except for Sundays and holidays), buy dried fish from 7am-8pm, and buy raw fish anytime of the day. The best part is that there are restaurants right above the fish market! So you can buy your live purchases from the fish market and the restaurants will cook it for you, right then and there! Or you can just order at the restaurant and they'll have someone run out to get your seafood. 

While I was at Noryangjin I had to try 산낙지 (Sannakji) which is live octopus! Sannakji basically a live octopus that is cut up (while it's still alive) and eaten raw with a salt like dipping sauce. The sannakji was amazing! The texture is the same as eating tako (octopus) poke and is slightly chewy. But what makes it fun is that the octopus pieces squirms around, runs off your plate, and clings to the inside of your mouth; a strange yet tantalizing feeling. This took playing with your food to whole new level and was definitely worth it!

As you can see Noryangjin is huge! And the smell was a bit intoxicating.

Picture taken from the second level overlooking the fish market

You can find strange sea creatures here