City of Contrasts, Part 2

After an amazing morning at the Bongeunsa Temple and COEX, we were in need of refreshments.  According to my map, there was a near-by park on the Han River.  Basking in the glorious sunshine by the river sounded like a brilliant plan, so we set out in that direction.  A deficit of restaurants and grocery stores drove us to a convenience store where we purchased a bottle of Cass beer and a couple bags of chips - perfect for a hot afternoon by the river!  Thinking the park would be near, we turned a corner and found at least six lanes of highway between us and the river.

Turning to a friendly motorcycle policeman for help, I pointed at the map where we wanted to go and motioned in dismay towards the road with no crosswalks.  After attempting to explain something in Korean to us, the policeman finally motioned for us to follow him, stopped traffic for us to cross the street, and led us down a path that was clearly marked as forbidden for pedestrians.  And then we arrived here:

Koreans, it turns out, are very serious bikers. A hike and bike trail ran alongside the river, and it was full of fancily-attired Koreans pedaling around. An leisurely pace looks very strange when undertaken by an elderly man in full racing attire!  The view, however, was gorgeous, with mountains, the cityscape, and the river.  Jamsil park was an incredibly peaceful place to be when surrounded by such a bustling metropolis.  Vroni, Philip, Steph, and I sat around for quite a while, contemplating climbing mountains, paddle-boating, and river cruising, and, when the sun dipped low, we made the subway journey home. 

Seoul is a very busy, very confusing, very beautiful city.