there are three things `Seoul´ has got plenty of: ginkgo trees moisturizing face masks & coffee shops. in contrast to `Tokyo´ south korea scored with its diversity openness & internationality !! especially the coffee culture seemed to be booming .. next to `Starbucks´ stores every 2oo m you could find heaps of cute little cafés all around the city. but what really impressed me was the large number of vegan restaurants !! next to the delicious local food like bibimbap kimchee or gimbap (translated: rice bowl with veggies & tofu • salted & fermented veggies • korean style sushi) you should definitely try out some plant based spots in `Seoul´. here are some of our favourites ordered by city parts: north • `Soiroum´: a tiny little restaurant with just a few options but no matter what you try it’s gonna be absolutely delicious !! south • `Vegetus´: this french cuisine is hidden in the hilly streets of `Seoul´ & offers everything your heart desires & everything vegan of course :)) west • `Sukkara´: nothing special from the outside but even more from the inside !! the menu contains vegetarian & vegan dishes which are both served with soup & salad .. you can even watch your food getting prepared in the open kitchen & make sure everything runs correctly. east • `Konaya´: this restaurant is famous for its curry !! my recommendation: rice tempura curry .. probably the best curry i ever had :)) man i’m getting hungry while writing all this !! but `Seoul´ is much more than just good food of course .. art & fashion are also playing a main role in south korea. check out the `Seoul Museum of Art´ for some cultural education .. the main exhibition is free so no excuses :)) did you know that there is one of the biggest underground shopping malls in the whole world located in `Seoul´ ?! no ?! well now you know. but there are loads of markets on the higher ground as well .. the `Namdaemun Market´ is also known as the biggest black market in town & offers all kind of fake clothes bags & shoes. but if you are more into european brands you should definitely visit the famous `Starfield Mall´. but it’s not the shops that make this mall so special .. it’s its library. the `Starfield Library´ is one of the main attractions of `Seoul´ & also one of the reasons why i always wanted to go to south korea :)) an architectural masterpiece made of wood & books .. the perfect place to go on a rainy day !! just to sit read & watch all the people around you .. sometimes there is even a jazz band playing some private concerts :)) all in one i’ve been truly amazed by how much i liked `Seoul´ .. thinking of korea in general i didn’t expect anything fancy .. now i know better !! still there are not a lot of backpackers or european people visiting south korea but if you get the chance to .. just do it .. i am sure you will fall in love with `Seoul´ on first sight just as i did :))
