Seoul, is, of course, a highly modernized city. There are electric and hybrid cars buzzing past on the busy city streets, multiple forms of public transportation vying for your dime and time, flat-screen tvs advertising on the trains, and any number of modern conveniences. You don't have to walk more than a block or two to find a convenience store or food stall, no matter what part of the city you stay in. Through summer to end of 2016 I was living in Hwajeong, about a half hour commute outside of Seoul on the #3 line. Some of the more centralized locations for Seoul would be quite a bit farther, of course, but Hwajeong put me at a relatively convenient location for commuting to the Jogno area of Seoul frequently. This works out especially well for me as the Jogno area comprises the northern-half of the historical core of Seoul, housing 4 out of the 5 grand temples of Seoul along with many historically significant locations (like the Seoul City wall) . You can access the area from Anguk station on Line 3, or Jogno-3ga (lines 1, 3 and 5). Line 3 was most convenient for me while living in Hwajeong at Yonie's AirBnB. 
This means the perfect compromise between modernity and historically significant sites. My first time in Seoul I stayed at Yim's House, and I rather enjoyed my stay. It was a more private experience than staying at Yonie's because despite being a "guest" house, you have your own private room and facilities (fridge, shower, restroom), whereas at Yonie's I was renting a room with shared access to amenities (bathroom with shower/tub, fridge, kitchen, washing machine). This meant that there were sometimes mornings at Yonie's where I'd be in a rush to get ready for work, trying to grab that quick pre-work shower to freshen up (especially in summer when I'd be sweating a lot during the night from the heat and humidity) and find someone else in there, with no idea how long they'd take or how late it might make me...but, these things. Luckily this didn't come up as a problem too terriby often, and in trade off I had access to a washing machine at Yonie's whereas at Yim's house I'd have to do my laundry by hand or take it to a laundromat. My first stay in Seoul was short enough that laundry didn't really matter, so it didn't factor into my estimation of the establishment so much. Knowing what I know now about how much of a pain in the tuckus hauling dirty laundry about really can be, I highly value access to laundry facilities in-building.
After filling up on this delicious crepe stuffed with a snappy hot dog, coleslaw and a generous blop of ketchup, I made my way into the city. This isn't the first time I've stumbled upon this temple, so it was rather amusing to find it once more. I had to take some photos and commemorate the experience before heading onwards towards my destination. I hope you enjoy these photos and glimpse into what life was like when I lived in Korea!
Check back tomorrow for further adventures!
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XOXO,
NAU
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