On Saturday morning we impulsively decided to hop a train to a city north east of Seoul. The ride took about an hour and a half, and thanks to the good infrastructure and cheap pricing here, the ride cost all of $2.50 per person. So cheap! Anyway, we had a pleasant ride through the countryside. It's the first time our kids have seen anything but urban life here. They were finally able to gaze out the windows and see the mountains, smaller cities, medium size town, and the odd old village that made you feel like you were going through a time warp. This area was mostly destroyed in the Korean War, so there aren't many old buildings to admire.
Speaking of the war, I was proud to walk by a memorial and see the Canadian flag flying amongst many other nations' flags. Canada fought hard and lost many here.
We stopped at a restaurant to have the region's specialty - Dukgalbi - chicken, rice cakes, turnip, cabbage, lettuce, sesame seeds, etc, all fried up in a large pan right on the table. The lady who served us was lovely, which always make an experience more pleasant. The kids were brave and tried the strange looking concoction, and discovered they actually like it! Whew, we were starting to wonder if Molly would like any food here. She's usually our adventurous eater, but like me, she hates fatty meat and she really hates the look of the eels and fish in the tanks outside the restaurants trying to lure customers in for something fresh. Finding her favourite Korean food may take a while.