Our Moms in Korea!

This past week, we were lucky to have our moms here in Korea with us!  Their travel plans were finalized about 6 weeks ago, and Tim and I had been excitedly planning for their arrival since then.  We had a limited amount of time to show them around Korea (6 full days), so we wanted to make sure to show them some of our favorite places, as well as some tourist locations that were new to us.  The weekend they arrived was the Lunar New Year holiday, so we had a four day weekend. We had such a great time traveling around Seoul and Yongin, and just being with our moms!  We love where we live, so it was fun to be able to share it with our moms, and see them enjoy it too!  We stayed from Friday night to Monday afternoon at our "vacation home" in Seoul, and then from Monday night to Thursday night at our apartment in Yongin.  Friday morning, they were back on a plane again!  It was a whirlwind of a trip, but it was amazing!

Saturday was our first full day with our moms.  First stop: War Memorial of Korea.  War, unfortunately, is such a big part of Korea's history, so we wanted them to see this museum.  Plus, Sue's father fought in the Korean War, so we knew the museum would be meaningful to her.  Here are the moms touring the museum!

Next, we went up to Namsan Tower, the highest point in Seoul, to take in the beautiful views of the mountains and the city.

Later that night, we took the moms to Korean BBQ!  They loved it!

The next day was Sunday, and the Lunar New Year holiday.  First, we took our moms to our church, where they were warmly welcomed.  Then, after lunch, we found our way to the Deoksugung Palace, and were surprised to find this traditional Korean performance!

After the performance, we explored the Palace grounds, and found huge groups of adults and children playing all sorts of traditional Korean games in the courtyard!  Korean children are the CUTEST!

Tim tried his hand at one of the games: throwing an arrow into a hole.  He made it on his first try... of course!

Walking around the palace.

Throughout our travels, we took buses, taxis, and subways.  This was my mom's first time on a subway!

Sunday night, we traveled into Myeong-dong, the shopping district of Seoul.  We saw "Nanta," the Korean show that is similar to "Stomp," but with cooking!

Monday, we went to the Jongmyo Shrine, where many rituals used to be performed, and where the spirit tablets of the kings and queens are located.

Little did we know, the Jongmyo Shrine was actually connected to Changgyeonggung Palace, so we got to explore that too!  Changgyeonggung Palace was originally built in 1418 by King Sejong.  It was awesome to see the beautiful architecture and gardens!

After the palace, we went shopping at the market in Insadong.  Then, we had bibimbap (a rice and vegetable bowl) for lunch!

The next day was dedicated to walking part of the Suwon Fortress wall.  Tim and I walked this wall in September, and it has been our favorite thing in Korea so far.  Our moms enjoyed seeing and hiking up this historical wall.

We walked along the wall up to the top of a small mountain.  The view was breathtaking!

At the top of the mountain, there was a huge bell that you could ring three times.  Each toll of the bell means something different.  The first toll means, "To show gratitude and respect to your parents."  Fitting.  The second toll means, "To wish for your family's health and harmony."  The third toll means, "To wish for the realization of your dreams."  Love it!

At night, we went out for famous Korean dessert waffles!  Yum!

On Wednesday and Thursday, Tim and I had to work, so we spent the mornings playing games and showing the moms around our cute town.  In the evenings, our moms came into the school to meet our classes!  The kids had fun introducing themselves and asking them questions!

We love our moms, and had such a great week with them!!