Morning

I worked out again this morning and noticed two more inconveniences with this gym:

You can only use the gym between 10:00 and 21:30 (since you have to register before using it).
The official capacity of the room is just 4 people, but there’s only one efficient workout station.

I ran into both problems today. I had to wait until the gym opened, and then when I got there, I still had to wait because someone else was already using the equipment. I think I’ll finish out this week to see if it happens again, and if it still bothers me, I’ll try the proper gym instead.

The person working out alongside me was kind enough, but not very talkative (I think he stays on the same floor as me?).

National Museum of Korea

After a shower and another kimbap, I headed off to the National Museum of Korea. It’s an incredibly big museum filled with (pre)historic artifacts. It’s located on top of a hill and has a magnificent view of the N-Seoul Tower.

I walked through all three floors, which are organized in chronological order. But soon I had a feeling of déjà vu—I had visited this museum last time I was in Korea and noticed the same things. I even ended up taking a lunch break at the exact same spot.

The second floor was under renovation, so about 20% of the museum was closed to the public. Even so, and despite rushing the last floor, I still spent an enjoyable four hours there.

Burial Rites Are Awesome

I’ve always loved the exhibitions on burial rites. To me, they show society far more vividly than a collection of pots or weapons ever could. In a time when materials were scarce, people still chose to give up valuable possessions for someone they respected. Imagine a modern funeral where everyone placed their phone in the coffin, so the deceased could keep scrolling TikTok in the afterlife—that’s how powerful these gestures were. They weren’t just offerings, but acts of respect, community, and belief in life beyond this one.

And in a way, they succeeded: centuries later, those same offerings are displayed in museums, where millions of visitors can witness that enduring respect.

Chi-maek at Han-gang

After finishing at the museum, I walked over to the Han River, the river Seoul is built around. Along the banks are small parks where people gather to cool off during hot weather, work out (running, cycling, or using the public machines), and enjoy some snacks.

I stopped at a big convenience store with a whole “ramyeon station” where you can get boiling water for your noodles. I grabbed some fried chicken and a beer to have traditional 치맥 (치 from 치킨 fried chicken and 맥 from 맥주 beer), just like my Korean textbooks taught me.

I wanted to sit in the park, but since it looked like rain, I decided against it and sat a bench next to the convenience store instead. The whole experience was a lot less magical than the textbooks make it sound.

Closing the Day Off

I realized I haven’t really posted any pictures with me in them yet. It’s pretty hard to take good photos of yourself when traveling solo. So I asked an 아줌마 (ajumma / older lady) in my best Korean if she could take a picture of me with the big bridge. Unfortunately, just as I asked, a loud train passed by, so she couldn’t hear me and waved me off.

It was so awkward that I didn’t even dare to take a selfie afterward. I just went back to the hotel.

I'll try harder to upload pictures with me in it in the future, I know my mother would like that.

Once back, I kicked off my shoes, worked on some ideas for future blog posts, and called it a night.

What’s in Store for Tomorrow?

Tomorrow I’ll be heading to 경복궁 (Gyeongbokgung, the former royal palace). I’ve been there before, but I’ll spice it up with some art museums I haven’t visited yet. I’ll also try to go for a run along 청계천 (Cheonggyecheon, the stream near my hotel).