Pictures of Korea, Part 3

Flowers growing outside of a shop, also in Insadong.  Can you tell I had Spring Fever?

When  we stepped off the main road (I believe it is actually Insadong Rd.) and peeked down the alleys, we quickly discovered that there were tons of restaurants and tea houses connected by a system of footpaths, which also were, surprisingly, used by mopeds and motorcycles.  At noon there were swarms of people literally racing through the little paths, trying to get into the eateries for lunch.  We explored and found a lovely, although not very busy, restaurant where we shared bulgogi stew for two, and tried two traditional teas.  Mine was citron, and was absolutely the best cup of tea I have ever had the pleasure of consuming, hands down.  Mom's was great, too, but I have forgotten the name of it already.  If you go to Korea, have the traditional tea...it is worth every won you'll spend. 
More pictures of the restaurant section:


I liked this one because it shows the juxtaposition of old and new architecture within Seoul. 

A path leading to a courtyard between two restaurants.

Dishes available are display with pictures so the (many, many) tourists can choose what to eat/order.

I think this is the restaurant we ate at.  How did we choose?  We were starving, they had nice seats in the window, and the seating was raised (benches rather than cushions on the floor) which is much more accommodating to my Mom's hip (she had hip replacement surgery a few years back and can't sit on the floor easily). 

I liked the urns and bowls that often were placed outside of the shops.

Back on the main drag in Insadong, I was trying to capture the vibrant colors that decorated the street and shops. 

As we headed back from Insadong, and tried to get to a palace we wanted to check out, Mom and I got separated on the subway.  It has been reported that one of us leapt from the train, leaving the other in the dust, and conversely that one of us wasn't paying attention and almost got stuck in the train's doors.  Ahem.  In any event, this is where it all took place.  I stayed put and Mom made her way back to me on the next train, but I was pretty anxious and scared for about 10 minutes that we would not find each other in a city of 11 million people.  Not one of our better moments in Korea, but we had a good laugh about it once reunited.

Another subway picture...so clean!  We never did make it to the palace, or to Namdaemun Market.  We had to be back at Eastern by 4:00pm, and we got a little turned around after the high anxiety of our brief separation.  By the time we straightened out our course, we had to head back, which was not necessarily a bad thing because we were able take a (much needed) nap before our meetings. 

After our meetings and dinner Tuesday night, Mom and I went to the Love the Children Hospital at Eastern and rocked the babies.  This is the only picture I took, and I even felt guilty taking it, although I am not sure why.  Perhaps it was because it seemed like an intrusion on the delicate peace the nannies/nurses had created in the moment (no babies were crying, and I didn't want to be the one to wake them with flash photography).  Or perhaps because it was hard to see so many babies, and so few adults to go around...although I must say the nannies/nurses do an AMAZING job.  I really don't know how they do it, but each baby had its turn to be loved and cuddled.  Perhaps it was because I was thinking of my own kids laying in those bassinets, waiting for their turn with the nanny.  I don't know, exactly.  It was a profound experience, though, and one I will never forget.

On Wednesday morning we got up very early and went to the lobby with our luggage, where we met with Emma's foster mother again.  She was so, so sad.  It was another very hard moment, realizing how much she loved our baby, and how hard it was for her to say goodbye.  Mrs. Koo showed me how to pat and sing to Hee Seon to make her sleep, so she was asleep when we left.  The younger Dr. Kim led us into a meeting room and said a prayer for us all (there was another woman who was escorting a baby home to a Parsons family...she was on a homeland tour with her older kids).  Then we went outside to the waiting van and driver, and this is a picture of me in the van while we were speeding down the highway, away from Eastern and Seoul. 

One of the three pictures I took during the flight home, when Emma was content to sit with my Mom.  I was trying to capture her fuzzy duck/newly hatched chick hair, which was highlighted nicely by the reading light.  It didn't come out very good, though. 

Meeting Daddy and Harry; home at last.  
That's the end of my photos from Korea, but just the beginning of our greater journey as a family.  Thanks for coming along for the ride!