Time to see Yeouido Park. If you happen to be here during spring, make sure you walk Yunjuro Street behind the National Assembly. Old cherry trees line up along the shore, making it the most picturesque street during the cherry blossom. Yeoiudo is more than parks, it is Seoul's financial district and home to many international firms. During lunch break the parks are flooded by people enjoying the view of the Han River and the open air galleries in the cultural square. Speaking of lunch breaks, the stroll and fresh air made us hungry, so we are on our way to Hillside Table. It offers a wide variety of salads. Thanks to Wha-Young (she makes sure that my order doesn't contain any gluten) I get a salad with baked pumpkin, tomatoes, steamed broccoli, and quinoa. It's delicious.

We arrive just in time for our guided tour of the Secret Garden (=Huwon), which is located right behind the inner hall of Changdeokgung Palace and takes up nearly two-third of the palace grounds. The garden is a truly beautiful place that has only been open to the public for about 20 years. Our tour guide, a young Korean woman with a lovely British accent, gives us a little glimpse into the history and its main attractions.

• In the middle of the garden is Buyongji, a rectangular pond. It is said that King Jeongjo used to fish here. Above the pond, are two beautiful pavilions (one of them once housed the royal library).

• A little deeper into Huwon is Bulromun Gate, a granite archway that is said to confer health and longevity to anyone passing it. Guess, what we all did? Exactly!

• Next, we visit the former residences for the King's noble guests, separated by gender. We learn that the entrance to the women's wing were lower than the men's wing because men were usually on horseback and shouldn't have to dismount. Makes sense!

• The names of the pavilions are written in Chinese. This is because once the educated wanted to stand out from the rest of the population. Only they could write and understand Chinese at all.

• At the end of the tour we pass a 750 year old conifer (a Chinese juniper to be exact) that was badly damaged in a typhoon ten years ago. The tree is still valued and cared for.

Unfortunately, we missed our chance to do a guided tour of Changdeokgung Palace (a World Heritage Site since 1997), so we have to explore the palace grounds on our own. It's fun though! We come across Injeongjeon. It was used for coronation ceremonies as well as conferences and meetings. The stone markers inscribed with the names of officials were placed in a particular order: Officials with higher rank stood closer to the King. Officials with lower ranks stood further away.

The perfect place to spend a mild evening is N Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain. The easiest way to get there is by bus or cable car. But with a local by my side, we do it the Seoulites way and walk to N Seoul Tower. The trail is moderate with walking paths and stairs offering some good views of the city and the tower. Oh, by the way, as soon as it gets dark, the tower lights up in different colours to indicate air quality (blue is good, green is okay, yellow is bad, and red is extremely bad). Today, it's blue. Good for us. BTW: N Seoul Tower is also a hot spot for lovebirds who wish to scribble their messages on a small love lock and affix it to the railings. It's thousands!

Day 25 - Artful Day Trip From Seoul

Because my friend has a heavy schedule, I am on my own again. No problem. I remember Toqy being totally enthusiastic about her day trip to the Garden of Morning Calm, Nami Island, and Petite France. So the plan for today is settled. Though I start early, I still need three hours to get to the themed gardens. But it's worth it. All of the 27 gardens are enchanting. One of my favourites is the Pond Garden as the scenery with the pavilion, a small waterfall, and the bridge is particularly romantic. Plus, I finally see some of the autumn colors I was hoping for.

Finding A piece of France in Korea

Stepping into Petite France, you immediately feel transported into france around the turn of the century. Sixteen beautiful colored buildings of European architecture nestle up to Homyeong Mountain. Each of them serve a different purpose: some house shops, sculptures and paintings, guest houses, and a café. For just a moment, I feel like I am actually visiting a small village in Alsace, France.

If you come to Korea, you will soon notice that Koreans are obsessed with the Little Prince. With this in mind, it comes at no surprise that Petite France seems to be dedicated to the famous book character. You find at least half a dozen photo-zones with motifs from the Little Prince.

a stop in nami Island

My third and last stop of today's tour is Nami Island - a children's dream with playgrounds, animals, and lots of fun activities. To get to Nami Island, you have to make a short ferry ride. Alternatively, you can use the zip line, which looks pretty cool, but is also quite expensive (and only one-way). For the first time in my life I see a turtledove. They are so beautiful.

Nami Island is often described as a place to relax within nature, but in reality, you will never have the island to yourself but share it with about 30,000 other visitors. Even so, you can still find places to escape the crowds that primarily gather at the popular photo spots like the redwood tree lane.

Back to Seoul, I feel peckish so I head straight to the Plant Cafe - a heaven for vegan and non-vegan people alike. If you ever happen to be in Seoul, pay Plant Cafe a visit. It's worth it. The restaurant is spacious and decorated with lots of plants. I am lucky to grab a seat by the windows. I take a bowl with lentils, rice, cheddar, a green smoothie, and a peanut cookie for dessert. The perfect choice.