Wandering Huam-dong& 108 Heaven Stairway Seoul 후암동 108 하늘계단

I wandered my neighbourhood of Haebangchon and Huamdong one afternoon. I was there because I wanted to visit a French bakery I’d heard about but when I got there, a sign on the door said they were still closed for the Lunar New Year. And also they’re closed Sundays and Mondays. There wasn’t much to do at Huam Market either; it seemed mainly dead. Perhaps Mondays aren’t the best day? Or maybe I was just too early in the day. There were a few interesting looking bars in the market street though, so I’ll come back for some drinks one night. I came across a spooky-looking Munsters house, and a decent restaurant serving Japanese style food.

After a fine drip coffee at Narino, and on my way back home, I went to the 108 Heaven Stairway, or at least I think that’s the name in Korean. Apparently it was made during the Japanese occupation and led to a Shinto shrine; the locals were required to march up these steps every day to pray there, and once liberated, the same residents tore it down. The stairs are still there, with an added funicular type elevator, which reminded me of my trip to Lisbon a few years back. Not quite as old and far fewer murals and graffiti, but interesting nonetheless.