Pet cafes: the Asian phenomenon spreading around the world. The concept is a cafe full of cute animals where customers can come to play! There are cafes for puppies, cats, birds, and even sheep.
We visited a cat cafe because some friends of ours love cats and we wanted to check off another bucket list experience.
The one we went to was ₩8000 (around $8) for entry, which included a free beverage! I got a yummy cookies and cream shake with cherry whip cream.
Since cats love to climb, the layout of the cafe was set up with two levels. We climbed a ladder up to the top level, and it felt like sitting on a giant bunk bed!
While we sat at the low tables with our drinks, the kitties were napping nearby, playing with customers, and even fighting! They were adorable and their antics made us laugh.
사시미 (sashimi) is a Japanese, thinly-sliced raw fish meal. It's very popular in Korea, but can be pretty pricey. We were unexpectedly treated to a sashimi dinner, and it was fun to try something new.
First of all, you have to admit that sashimi is incredibly beautiful, whether you like eating raw fish or not. I had never tried anything like it, and the texture was interesting, to say the least. The raw salmon was definitely my favorite! Each person had their own trio of dipping sauces: soy sauce with wasabi, 쌈장 (ssamjang = wrapping sauce), and 초고추장 (cho-gochujang = vinegar pepper sauce). We could just dip and devour or wrap in lettuce with other vegetables like raw garlic (my favorite) or small radish sprouts.
The second plate was filled with different sea creatures, none of them I particularly enjoyed. The pink one is jelly fish, which had a soapy taste, and the one in the middle was octopus, which was very tough to chew. Next was what you would see at a typical sushi restaurant. Thin slices of white fish (don't know what kind), on top of rice with a little dollop of wasabi on the inside. Delicious!
Here comes the terrifying part where Christina acts very bravely! The infamous, fresh octopus that's still moving! The tentacles were covered in sesame oil, which was yummy.
The meal concluded with fantastic 돌솥 비빔밥 (dolsot bibimbap = hot stone rice bowl) with fish eggs and a yummy seafood and radish stew!
One of the many blessings of living in the heart of Seoul is that we are minutes from the Han river, which runs east to west right through the city. The parks surrounding the Han are always bustling with activity!
한강 (hangang) is its Korean name because 강 (gang) means river! So don't say "hangang river", got it? Actually, 한 (han) is an old Korean word that means "big", so 한강 means "big river". During the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897), official titles were written in Chinese, and the Chinese character pronounced "han" (漢) was used for the Han river as well as the old name for Seoul, 한양 (Hanyang).
Anyway, biking along the river has been one of our favorite things to do on the weekend. Here's a video (shaky - sorry) of one of our rides!
This is a short time-lapse from high above the Han river in 63 Building, a Seoul landmark with amazing views!
