Seoul Day 5: Seoul Tower, Namdaemun Market, Kamron's chop

We woke up Tuesday morning to another lovely day of 60 degrees and sun. We have been so lucky in the weather department! Our attempt to take the cable car up to Seoul Tower Sunday night had been a bust with the line wrapping around the building's multiple levels given the beautiful weekend day. Tuesday morning we decided to give it another try and climbed up the hill to the cable car station again. On our way, we stopped at the outdoor portion of the Seoul Cartoon Museum.
And then it was time to continue our trek up to the cable car station. Nedy and Josiah were both pretty excited about riding the cable car that "floats" through the air on cables above, much like a ski lift only with a very large enclosed car that holds maybe 50 people, to reach the base of the Seoul Tower. Thankfully, we were there early enough and there were just a few other people in line ahead of us. We bought our tickets and climbed aboard the cable car. Nedy went over by the window to look out when a huge tourist group plowed (and I do mean PLOWED) into the car and separated us. "Mamaaaaaaaa!!!," she yelled. "Nedy, follow the sound of my voice! Nedyyyyyyyyyy!!!," I yelled to her. And before long her tear-streaked cheeks pushed through the many legs surrounding her and she hopped up into my arms and buried her little face. "Mama, I soooooo scared when dose people push us apart and den I remember we talk about if I get yost at a store and I start yelling for you just yike you said and den I found you!" Wow, I guess she does listen to me sometimes. :) Poor baby, she was was so scared.
Up at the tower's base, we bought tickets to ride the crazy elevator up another 700-some feet to the observation deck, but not before making Ned and Josiah pose for more photos.
At the top, the views were magnificent. Obviously, Seoul is a huge city. But seeing Seoul from this vantage really gave perspective on just how huge this city is. And, let me tell you, it's HUGE. It goes on and on seemingly endlessly in all directions.
I heard that the bathroom was the coolest bathroom on earth. It's a nice place to do your business, that's for sure. Nedy even decided, "I wash my hands not one time, not two times, THREE times because dis is neat in here. I can see all da city in dis bathroom. And I can weach da sink all by myself with no stool! Well, on my tippy toes."
After the ear-popping elevator ride back down, Dan gave Ned and Josiah each a padlock we brought from home to take part in the tradition of affixing a "love padlock" to the fence and topiary forms at the tower's base. The tradition is really supposed to be about lovers attaching a lock and throwing away the key as a symbol of their undying love, but we used it more as an "I was here" kind of thing. They both thought it was super cool.
Funny thing. Me, the person who photographs every freakin' thing somehow neglected to get a shot of the tower itself. So, you'll have to settle for the view of it as seen from our hotel room window:
After the tower, Lisa and I decided we wanted to brave the madness that is Namdaemun Market. Namdaemun is a market of 10,000 shops/vendors in a tight area of city blocks. We all walked down there together, but the crazy chaos of this place, even at 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon, was too much for the kids--we feared losing them in the madness! Really, craziness. Vendors everywhere. Goods strewn all over the streets. Piles upon piles of clothing. Chatter and laughter everywhere. Absolutely vibrant.
Dan, the great guy that he is, offered to take the kids to Insadong to have Kamron's chop made while Lisa and I braved the chaos in search of the fantastic kids clothes that Korea is known for. And did we ever find them! An entire mall of children's clothing, only instead of traditional stores in a mall, the vendors sat booth next to booth, much like a flea-market style set-up. So booth after booth we blew won after won. Ohmygosh, did we find some amazing stuff--and had fun along the way attempting to communicate about sizes and bargaining for deals. Just look at the look on Lisa's face after finishing up two hours later:
So while we were planning our kids' wardrobes for the next 3 years, Dan and the kids went to a brush shop in Insadong (recommended to us by our friends back home) to have Kamron's chop made. This artist does a gorgeous job and carves the stone right there while you wait. It takes about 30 minutes. (Interesting that Nedy's chop from China is carved into hard wax on the end of the stone, but Kamron's is carved right into the stone; makes me wonder if this is related to the artist's quality or just a difference between Chinese and Korean chops...) Anyway, his chop came out beautifully. It's just gorgeous. Thanks, E, for the recommendation!
Lisa and I decided to pick up pizzas (yeah, I know) before catching a cab back to the hotel. And it's a darn good thing we did, as Dan and the kids were just about to head out the door for dinner of BOILED PIGS FEET at a place with a name that translates to "Fat Grandma's." Apparently Fat Grandma's specializes in boiled pigs feet. So we come in with pizza and Ned goes, "Awwww, Mama, nooooooooo! We were supposed to go to Fat Grandma's for pigs feet!" So we ate the pizza, but as we did Ned and Dan decided that maybe Kamron would like pigs feet and they would maybe take him on Friday. Hmmm, wonder what they're planning on doing with me? :)