IMID Notes

Living in Seoul means there are many museums and educational places to visit with children, and sometimes the places that sound quite serious turn out to interest them more than I expect. The Bank of Korea Money Museum (한국은행 화폐박물관) was one of those places for us. At first, a museum about money may sound like somewhere mainly for adults. But when we visited with our children, I found that there was quite a lot for them to see and do. My children, especially the boys, were interested in the old banknotes, huge displays of Korean won, damaged money, currencies from different countries, and exhibits they could interact with themselves. What I liked was that the visit was educational without feeling like another lesson. We could simply walk around together, stop wherever something caught their attention, and talk about what we were seeing. Bank of Korea Money Museum in central Seoul. Inside the Bank of Korea Money Museum The museum introduces the his...

Living in Seoul with children, we have discovered that some of the best family places are not necessarily places we need to plan a special trip to visit. Over time, they simply become part of everyday life. For our family, Seoul Children’s Grand Park (서울어린이대공원) is one of those places. We have visited the park many times and in every season. Sometimes we go for a longer outing and visit the zoo, botanical garden or amusement park. At other times, our visit is much simpler. We walk, the children play, we bring badminton rackets, or they spend some time on the swings. And sometimes, especially when the weather is pleasant, we go there after dinner simply to walk. Because we have returned so many times over the years, I no longer think of Seoul Children’s Grand Park only as an attraction for children. For us, it has become one of those familiar places in Seoul where we can spend time outdoors together without needing much preparation. Why We Keep Going Back One reason we...

Seeing Seoul From the Han River We have taken the Hangang Bus several times with our children, and each ride has felt a little different. The number of passengers, where we were able to sit, and even the weather influenced the experience. The view during one of our Hangang Bus rides with the children. One of the most enjoyable parts of taking the Hangang Bus was seeing a familiar city from a completely different perspective. From the river, we could see Seoul's high-rise buildings, different parts of the skyline, and Namsan Seoul Tower in the distance. Seoul's skyline and Han River scenery seen during different rides. The boat moved at a comfortable pace, so we had time to look around and enjoy the changing scenery rather than simply passing everything quickly. On one of our rides, we were able to sit beside the large windows and enjoy the view throughout the journey. On another, there were many more passengers and we...