last weekend, mike and i went to check out the namsan tower.
while officially named the “n seoul tower” its referred to as namsan tower as most. it sits on top of nam mountain (hill) near the center of seoul. it is a communication and observation tower.
allegedly, i’ve been there with my dad when i was a kid. but the first that i can remember of hearing about this tower is from watching the very successful korean drama boys over flowers.
it seemed like a pretty good view of seoul at night, and the cable car looked fun so i was excited to check it out…. hm.. lets just say it wasn’t what i imagined but better in different ways.
first, i’m not sure if its legally allowed for safety reasons to stuff as many people as they do into the cable cars. its frustrating to pay to ride a cable car and spend the ride packed into the middle of a completely full car.
once we got up to the tower, we saw a view of seoul, which was nice. but you also notice that the fencing of the entire observation area at ground level is covered by locks and heart-shaped keychains with love notes written on them.
not only that, this spot if the date spot that i imagined but in a weird way. it’s really crowded with couples trying to share a romantic, intimate moment. however, it looks pretty funny when each couple is surrounded by 6+ other couples trying to do the same thing….
maybe this has to do with the fact that a lot of young koreans live with their families throughout their 20s and often into their 30s. this + living in a fairly conservative society (while its slowly changing) have left young lovers with few places in which to have private intimate moments. perhaps this is the only place/opportunity to share these kinds of experiences.
mike and i got pulled into the moment for one second….
one more quick ride in the sardine can in the sky and we were back down the mountain. would like to go during the day and explore the park surrounding the tower more.
xo, s
