From Seoul station to Dongdaemun

"These heels are made for walking." 

Everyone who knows me well enough, knows that I love to walk a lot. I love walking in the rain, walking in the city during the night, walking instead of taking a bus... This time I wanted to go and hang out in Seoul, nothing special but just seeing the views and taking photos. 

My starting point was Seoul station. 

This is Namdaemun Gate (Great Southern Gate) near Seoul station. 

In Korean "nam" means south and "mun" means gate, that's why it's easy to know this is the southern gate. 

This was part of the wall surrounding Seoul during 1392-1910. 

Some streetview near the center of Seoul. 

There are different kinds of architectural solutions, old and new, Asian and European. 

Anyway this street is very beautiful. 

There are many things to see around this part of the city. 

This is the beautiful fountain in front of Bank of Korea Museum near Namdaemun martket. 

More views behind the fountain. 

Views towards Namdaemun martket. 

Seoul N tower or Namsan tower is also clearly visible from here. 

Seems like the rush hour is beginning to take its final form! 

The evening is coming and people are going home (ha, in their dreams). 

A busy street near in the downtown Seoul. 

Busy Korean people coming from work. 

If I'm right this fancy tower building is designed by an Uruquayan architect called Rafael Vinoly. I call care what he named it, I call it "The Sauron". 

Cheongyecheon stream in the middle of Seoul. 

This is one of my favourite places in the whole city, an urban oasis! 

The streets here are very nice also. 

...That teeny weeny car though :D 

Many bars, restaurants and cafés attract people. 

 

 This stream has a long, meaningful history, since it was the landmark that divided the south and north side of the city. Stone bridges were built to connect the two sides, and that's why there are still many historical bridges that are popular attractions. 

However, the stream was turned into a sewer and served the city that way for about 500 years. It became a dirty, polluted creek and that's how it stayed for a long time, even when the refugees settled down along the banks after the Korean War. The stream became a symbol of poverty and hardships. 

Cheongyecheon was covered with concrete and nobody saw its value, not until the post war economic boom. The stream was transformed into a clean, beautiful Cheongyecheon it once was; the cost of the project was about 280 million dollars and took place between 2001 - 2005. It was a hard project, but now Cheongyecheon is the pride and joy of the city again! 

Not many people even know the colourful history of this place, but the main point is that they're finally protecting it and enjoying it. 

The stream and its banks still have memories of the past, but now it looks really beautiful and fresh.  

You can see how the center of modern Seoul has been built around the stream, and how popular this place is among the Koreans and also tourists. 

Even though it's a popular place, the atmosphere is very serene. 

I find it easy to relax here, gathering good memories.

Found some birds sleeping. 

From here you can see some of the beautiful bridges in the distance. 

I arrived to Dongdaemun. 

Look how clear the water is nowadays! 

This seems to be a popular dating-place since I always see so many couples here.

Cheongyecheon is not just beautiful, it has important meanings to the city. It decreases the traffic around downtown, divides different parts of the city, is a home to some wildlife like birds and even cools down the city center during summer. The most important thing is that it's something that the Koreans can be proud of, and a place that anyone can enjoy.