TEA MUSEUM: A New Tea Room In Seoul's Bukchon Village

This must be the only tea room in Seoul where you can be seated on a balcony in a quiet neighborhood and with a view of the foliage of a palace while sipping dandelion tea and eating scones. 

The Tea Museum, which just opened a week ago, is perfectly located just right next to Changdeokgung or Changdeok Palace.  Originally a residence, the place was transformed by David and Jade Kilburn into an art space and a tea room, that serves different kinds of unique tea blends from all over the world as well as cakes, scones, salads and other baked goodies.

I regretted arriving late afternoon on my first ever visit. The view from its balcony of Changdeok Palace's Secret Garden under the bright daylight would have been an enjoyable experience while sipping tea.

And as the Tea Museum's maxim goes, 'Relax with Tea', I was able to enjoy a late afternoon dandelion tea with David and conversations over spoonfuls of Rose Petal Scone and the Tea Museum's Chocolate Hibiscus made with gluten-free flour from France and Belgian chocolate. They bake their own products by the way, and according to Jade, the master chef, the ingredients they use for their bread, cakes and salads are organic, and the teas are sourced only from the best around the world. With more than a decade of experience in the international tea business, David and Jade know best about tea.

On one corner of the second floor is an art space, where an exhibition of the work of Miss Bada Song, an interdisciplinary Korean artist based in London, is ongoing.

So, if you're a tea lover and just want to enjoy tea with friends or family on the most quiet corner of Seoul, just head off to Bukchon Village. From Exit 3 of Anguk Station, go straight for about 240 meters towards the Changdeok Palace. Once you reach the corner BEFORE the Palace, turn left and walk straight, tracing the Palace walls for about 280 meters. If you see the Yongsusan restaurant, the Tea Museum is about 80 meters ahead. Just watch out for its sky blue entrance, and there are a few parking spaces in front next to the Palace walls.

They have a garden and a space on the first floor perfect for family gatherings and meetings. They have wi-fi all over and a balcony with the view of the foliage of Changdeok Palace's Secret Garden. 

How many tea rooms in Seoul can actually boast of a view of a UN World Heritage Site?

                         (A garden path to Tea Museum)

                            (A tea room with a balcony!)

                                       (The first floor)

                          (Jade and David Kilburn)

                        (One of Bada Song's works on exhibit 
                          on the second floor art space)

 (The second floor decorated with wall papers from England)

                      (A warm cup of dandelion tea for me)

                   (A freshly baked rose-petal scone for me!)

                           (David's Chocolate Hibiscus cake 
          made from French flour and Belgian chocolate) 

                                      (A tea room with a view!)

(Tea with the autumn foliage of 

Changdeok Palace's Secret Garden)

Here's Tea Museum's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/TeaMuseum

Tea Museum's website where you can purchase tea online:

http://www.teamuseum.kr/

                               (A map to the Tea Museum)

Dongdaemun's 20,000 White Flowers: A Garden By Day, A Galaxy Of Stars At Night

While most passers-by are reminded of a space ship when they see up close the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), I, on the other hand, am reminded of the Incheon International Airport. Sometimes, when I pass by the DDP, I always wonder why there are no planes landing or taking off. Ha-ha-ha!

                (There was no one else at the Grass Hill!)

And behind the DDP's dome is an installation which has become very popular at night. If you take a short walk from Exit 1 of the Dongdaemun Culture and History Park Station, and follow the length of the Plaza, you'll end up at the Grass Hill area of the DDP, which is currently littered with white flowers whose blooms actually contain LED lights. 

They turn the lights on from sundown until 10PM and according to the security guard I asked, they number 20,000. I'm not sure if he actually counted all of them, but since he works there, he must have had all day to do so.

One Saturday morning, straight from my tennis matches in Hannam-dong, I took the Blue Bus 420 going to the Dongdaemun's bag market. But since I heard about this installation, I decided to make a detour and take a peek at the white flowers.

Under the 10AM sun, the thousands of white flowers looked pristine, immaculate and well, white. With the dome as their background, the rows and rows of flowers looked like a real garden with real flowers, whose blooming seemed to have been perfectly synchronized to my visit that morning.

                                    (It's selfie time!)

I stood there for a moment, totally impressed with the postcard-worthy sight before me. Even with my legs tired from running on the tennis court earlier, I decided to walk around the 'garden' and take photographs. Although I was joined that early morning by two ajussis, I was the only tourist of the three; the two were there to repair some wiring for the flowers.

I left the white flower 'garden' after a few shots, but decided to return during the night when the flowers are lighted. 

                       (A woman posing inside the 'garden' 
                             even though it's prohibited)

And on the evening I returned, I wasn't the only tourist around. This time, the Grass Hill became a selfie-spot with lots of couples taking their photos with the thousands of LED lights emitting from within the blooms of the flowers. From afar and in the darkness, they all look like a galaxy of stars minus the twinkling and the Big Bang theory. 

Since the flowers are planted close to each other, entering the garden is prohibited to avoid breaking the stems. Although there's a sign telling visitors to refrain from doing so and with a security guy trying to enforce it, there are still some hard-headed people who tried to make their way a few meters inside so they could have their photo taken. 

I don't know who 'planted' all these white flowers. But whoever they were, it must have been a huge task of not only filling up the spots with thousands of stems, but also arranging all the wirings for the LED lights on each bloom. They were not only horticulturists; they were also electricians!

                      (The lights are turned off when it's...
                      raining, snowing...or if it's 10PM.)

So, before it becomes really cold, you should visit the white flower 'garden' at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza during the day; and if you have time at night, make a return trip to be amazed at the thousands of glowing white flowers in the dark.

I think the original idea of the installation was meant to impress at night. But under the morning light, the 'garden' on DDP's Grass Hill looks even more impressive. After all, isn't it nice to have a garden that doesn't need watering? 

You only need a light switch. Ha-ha-ha! 

                          (I had the 'garden' all to myself!)

P.S. According to the DPP people, they're keeping the light installation until the end of 2014. They haven't decided yet if they'll extend it further. 

Dae-Woong Kim's Unique Ceramic Pottery

It could have been a sleepy autumn afternoon. After running on the tennis court early Saturday morning, I decided to to give my legs a break. After all, they have been running around the city the whole week. Ha-ha-ha!

But after a nap, I decided to head down to the Gwangjin District of Seoul. My friend Hyun-Sung just invited me to a ceramics exhibition at their family's gallery.

After walking for a few minutes from the Achasan (Children's Grand Park) Station, I got to their gallery.

                   (Dae-woong Kim and some of his work)

The exhibit was the unique ceramic art of Mr. Dae-Woong Kim. His pieces of ceramic cups, bowls, kettle and other items, I was told, were unique as they have 'scars' around them that you can 'feel' by touching them with your fingers and with your eyes closed. These 'scars' make each item special as they tell the story of the artwork.  Mr. Kim 'cooks' his pieces in a fire-wood kiln for three days, enabling the ashes from the wood form part of the piece and giving the piece a natural glaze.

Mr. Kim has exhibited his work in a few galleries around Seoul and Korea, as well as in Poland, Germany, France and Croatia.

His exhibition at this gallery is scheduled until November 13.

You can see more of Dae-Woong Kim's work at his website:

http://tongkama.com/

The Hongdae Live Performances: From Heavy Metal Rockin' To Outdoor Singing

The last time I was at Hongdae, I promised to return more often. And the last time I was here early this year, I listened to heavy metal music. And last weekend, I listened to heavy metal...and a lot more.

When you mention 'Hongdae', everyone immediately knows what you're referring to:  young crowd, lots of restaurants and bars, food stalls on the street, lots of indie artists and street performers, and a lively night scene! And this area is always full on Friday and Saturday nights!  Trying exiting from the Hongik Station on a Friday or Saturday night and you'll know what I mean. 

And last weekend, Rodfest continued on with its 2014 rock concert series. Last spring, it was held at the Yes24.com concert hall near Hapjeong Station. This time, it's at the V-Hall, which was near Hong-ik University Station.

                                     (Diablo on stage)

Rock bands billed for the Rodfest Vol. 5 were Manixive, Gwamegi, Method, Crash and the Diablo. As always, the audience mostly consisted of university students who just wanted a night away from their classrooms and away from their textbooks. They were there in the middle of the V-Hall banging their heads, screaming with the rock bands and running around in circles just letting steam off from the stressful life of being a university student.

Thanks to the K-Performance Supporters team of the Korea Tourism Organization, I had my dose of Korean indie rock scene again that night right in the middle of where it should be enjoyed, Hong-dae!

After the rock concert, I moved around that small park a few meters from Exit 9 of the Hong-ik University Station (Line 2). At this time of the night, it was full of performers, singers and craftspersons who were selling their art works on the street.

                                  (If you sing, they will come)

(They're queuing for a KRW1,000 caricature from this artist)

The atmosphere that night was more fun than any street festival organized by the Seoul city government. In Hongdae, you don't need to promote or invite people to come. Everyone will just show up and listen to you sing, rap, perform, or do magic. Why?  Because this is Hongdae!

                                    (Beatboxing for a crowd)

                              (Nail art on the street)

Here, be it inside a concert venue where heavy metal was rocking the crowd, or outdoors, where artists performed live (and without the need for make-up or back-up dancers like those manufactured performers on TV) for everyone who wanted to listen, the atmosphere is very friendly and fun. 

                             (This guy wants to give free hugs)

                                    (The girls and a clown)

So, if you're fed up with your boring neighborhood, you know you can always head down to Hongdae in Seoul, the center of the indie spirit and underground club culture in Korea.

                                            (Midnight snacks!)

                                    (Night shopping!)

And don't forget Exit 9 on your way out. Have fun!