Valerie Emily

I’ve completely fallen in love with Seoul, its people, and the craziness of the city. Coming from a small town in the Netherlands, it felt like a new world opened up to me when I first arrived here in South Korea. There was an immediate excitement of being able to explore a city that I’ve dreamed of for years. That feeling hasn’t worn off for me at all. There is (still) so. much. to. see. And I want to tell you all about it.

Hidden layers of Seoul

When you think about Seoul, you imagine highly preserved palaces in the middle of the city center, modern corporate buildings, iconic landmarks, road raging bus and taxi drivers, K-beauty, K-pop… K-Culture in itself. And all of it is true, yes even the road raging taxi drivers (sorry mom and dad). But behind all of this, there is still a quieter, more lived-in layer of Seoul. Some of it is even hidden in plain sight. Think about streets where the electricity cables are still very much visible, or run-down restaurants serving amazing dishes. As well as small boutiques with affordable gems, hidden in the more residential areas of Seoul. And of course, my favorite part of it all, cafes galore. 

The rhythm of daily life

If I’m being honest, you can make your daily life in Seoul as exciting or as chill as you want it to be. If you’re a type A person you probably have your full itinerary already planned meticulously. But as your type B friend from afar, I can assure you that even without a plan, you’ll be able to have a very fun and eventful day in the least touristy neighborhoods. I think my favorite days were definitely the ones that I spent in lesser known places. In those areas I was the only tourist around most of the time, which can be very odd if you’re not used to it. But once you travel solo for as long as I have, it doesn’t bother you at all. I actually like an area more if there are no tourists around, because I’ll be able to experience and learn more about the city.

Solo moments in Seoul

I’ve been traveling solo, but I actually never really felt lonely. Single? Yes, but you get used to it. Even when I lived in the Netherlands, I enjoyed going out by myself. Nothing has changed. A couple of weeks ago I went to N Seoul Tower, because I wanted to see the city during sunset. After getting a snack and a bottle of water, I sat down at the steps of the pagoda overlooking the city. It felt like a surreal moment to me. While fantasizing about living in Seoul, a girl slightly younger than me walked past me and we started talking. She was also traveling solo and we ended up talking for an hour about Seoul, life, concerts, photography… If I were traveling with someone else, I’d probably never get to speak with this person from an entirely different country. Even though I’m traveling solo, I’ll always share a memory with someone. And this is one of those memories I will cherish for a long time.