I almost missed this moment, limping down the 5,000 stairs in my pathetic excuse for footwear...I happened to glance to my left and my breath caught in my throat...there ARE sunsets in the city! 

Happy tree... 

This is Pavarotti soaring on that note in Nessun Dorma 

Front view of fountain 

This is the World Music Fountain...they have water shows three times a day, playing everything from The Mickey Mouse March to Clair de Lune to The Mexican Hat Dance...it was fantastic. 

Inside the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum 

Natural light softens the modern edge of the interior 

Inside the Opera House...FYI, slinkies are BACK! 

Reflection 

This weekend I visited Seoul Arts Center...this is the Opera House, which next weekend will become home to none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera"...the following is some interesting info about the Opera House obtained from another website: The Opera House, characterized by a traditional top-hat-shaped roof and a lower section which resembles a human sitting with his legs crossed, is the compact embodiment of the entire Center. The first and only Opera House in Asia, a seven-story building with one floor under and six above the ground is composed of Opera Theater for operas, Towol Theater for plays, Jayu Theater for more experimental productions and backstage. Praised for its absorbent power and intimacy between the stage and the audience, the Opera Theater houses about 2,300 seats.
 

One last, longing look as I drag myself away... 

"Is there any felicity in the world superior to this?" Miss Marianne Dashwood (Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen) 

Emboldened by the success in my venture (and equally disappointed when I realized that the sun would be setting somewhere BEHIND me...arg), I decided to get a room for the night and reserve a spot for the early show. There is nothing like the quiet calm of the oceanside at dawn...especially after fitful sleep punctuated by fireworks being set off by crazy insomniacs on the beach until 4am...misery loves company. 

Please Note: Have refrained from all hair-chopping impulses thus far in my stay. 

A Study in Sand 

The little red lighthouse...that couldn't. 

The guides and their English-speaking friend who came to hang out for a while and practice. They're sitting on the base of an old lighthouse. 

Ah, now the sun's coming out... 

And the clouds are back... 

This definitely takes the kimchi as my happiest day in Korea 

My travel guides, probably tip-tip-tappin' away at their cell phones... 

This little miss was just pit-pit-pattin' away...too cute! 

Isn't this great?  

This darling pair made me wonder if Melanie and Emily were having one of their beach dates, too. 

...next time I'll just send a postcard. :-)