Buam-dong 부암동 and the Best Coffee Shop in Seoul

When looking to have a classy afternoon of coffee and shopping, many Seoulites head to Samcheong-dong (삼청동), an upscale neighbored next to Gyeongbok Palace (경복겅). Filled with boutique clothing stores, independent coffee shops, marvelous little restaurants, and timeless traditional Korean architecture, Samcheong-dong is a great place for a weekend stroll (Anguk Station, exit 3). However, it’s an extremely popular area. On any given weekend afternoon it will be overrun by crowds looking to shop, or tourists hunting for a meal after a walk around the palace.

If you’re looking an equally charming area without the crowds, try heading over to Buam-dong (부암동). Not as developed as Samcheong-dong, Buam-dong is a small neighborhood with a lot of character and a quaint atmosphere not often found in Seoul. It’s located between Inwangsan and Bukhansan, two mountains, offering great views at every turn. It’s also known for an eclectic mix of hidden galleries, classic restaurants, and superb coffee shops, including the famous Sanmootonge (산모퉁이), which is arguably the most beautiful café in Seoul. Buam-dong receives a lot less crowds since you cannot get there directly by subway, but here are simple bus directions!

1. 1.     Go to Gyeongbokgung Station (line 3), get out at exit 3.
2. 2.     Go straight about 100 meters to the second bus stop, take green buses #1020 or #7022 and get off at the Buam-dong Community Service Center 부암동민주센터. It’s only 6 stops away and it will be announced in English.

Places to go: 

To get to the first four places on my list, go to your right when you get off the bus and walk straight up the hill for 2 minutes or so until you hit Espresso Club (pictured below on the left). Known for serving up some of the best cups of coffee in Seoul, Espresso Club is also at the base of the road that takes you to most of major destinations on Buam-dong.

Espresso Club is the brick building on the left. You can stop in there for a taste of some of the best coffee from around the world! If you want great views and coffee however, head up to Sanmootonge.

Sanmootonge (산모퉁이) 

1.    According to the internet, this coffee shop was made famous by its appearance on the Korean drama Coffee Prince. However, even if you are like me and have never seen a Korean drama (it’s true), you’ll still be impressed. Located in a lovely brick house with magnificent views of Seoul and what I’ve deemed the Korean “Hollywood Hills”, Sanmootonge has just the right amounts of style, class, and quirk.

The coffee is a bit pricey at 8,000 won but it’s good quality, and of course you are really paying for the seat. Try to go early (before 1 pm) so you don’t have to fight K-drama fan girls or couples taking selfies for a seat on one of the balconies or in front of a window! The gallery downstairs is also worth checking out.  

Directions: Once you hit Espresso Club, turn left and you’ll see a fork in the road. Stay left and keep walking; soon you’ll hit a small bend where you’ll see a white building with a large brown sign for Santoomonge, pointing you uphill. It’s about 10-15 minute walk uphill, but there are great views and architecture along the way. Additional signs along the hill will keep you on track!

Jaha Sonmandu (자하손만두)
This is a famous mandu (만두) or dumpling restaurant. Known for its fantastic tteok mandu guk (떡만두국), or rice cake and dumpling soup, this restaurant also has a beautiful minimalist interior, perfect for dates, birthdays, treating yourself, and other special occasions. While certainly pricier than every day street mandu, regular dishes only cost about 6,000 to 15,000 won; 12,000 won for the tteok mandu guk. As a huge mandu fan, I think it’s well worth the visit!   

Directions: It’s just a little up the street from Espresso Club. Turn left at Espresso Club, then stay right at the fork, going a little up hill. You will see Jaha Sonmandu almost immediately on your right. 

Gyeyolsa Chicken, 계열사 치킨 (formerly “Cheers Chicken”)

Gyeyolsa is one of the most famous chicken restaurants in Seoul and is known for its traditional Korean fried chicken. Traditional Korean fried chicken is distinguished by a very thin crisp shell. The chicken is served on platters with large home fries. There is no English menu, but it’s just the first item on the menu, 후라이드 (which is Hangeul for “fried”). If you’re feeling more adventurous, another popular dish you’ll see many people ordering is the second item on the menu, 골뱅이 국수or snails with noodles! Get here by noon if you want to avoid the lunch rush!  

 Directions: It’s also just a little bit up the street from Espresso Club. Stay to the left at the fork. It’s located down on the lowered sidewalk to your left. 

Changuimun Gate and Seoul Fortress

if after all that eating you’re in need of some exercise, make a right behind Espresso Club and walk straight for just a minute and you will come to the Changumin Gate (the oldest of the fortress gates) Through the gate you’ll find one of the entrances for the Seoul Fortress which you can hike (yes that large fortress you can see from Sanmootonge).

Ivy and Shortcake

If you want to explore another part of the Buam-dong area, make a right at the base of Buam-dong (when you are facing these shops). A few minutes down are some other neighborhood favorites.

One of the first places you’ll see walking down the street is Ivy, a small yellow café with only 3 seats. Apparently it can be rented out at night to small groups for 50,000 won. After Ivy you’ll see Shortcake, which is a popular cupcake shop. While probably more sought out for its cute décor than the cupcakes (I agree with the assessments I’ve read that the cakes are a little dry) Shortcake is still pretty good! In a city with a lack of cupcakes, I don’t get too choosey! The frosting on my Oreo cupcake was quite good. 

Left- Ivy, Right- Shortcake interior and Oreo cupcake!

Keep walking past Shortcake and you’ll come to a rotary intersection. You have to cross the street to get down to the pedestrian intersection. If you go to the right you can get great views of the mountains and visit some other interesting shops.  I didn’t get a chance to go left, but it looked like there were a few interesting things there as well. Really you could spend an afternoon exploring, which I would encourage you to do if you have the time.

August

With limited time, my friend and I decided just to check out nearby August (to the right of the rotary), which is an interesting vintage shop filled with clothes, house ware, and other knick-knacks. The owner was very friendly; she used to live in L.A. and speaks English very well! 

 Pro tips for Buam-dong (and in general):

1.  Wander down small streets, take long walks, and let yourself get lost. The neighborhoods surrounding Gyeongbok Palace, particularly Samcheong-dong and Buam-dong, are filled with hidden coffee shops and galleries. There are tons of great places and little treasures to discover.
2. Taxis are cheaper than you’d think. If you start the day checking out Gyeongbok Palace or Samcheong-dong, which I would recommend, a taxi to Buam-dong from there will only cost about 6,000 won. In general, travel between major destinations in central Seoul isn’t too pricey, especially if you are splitting it with friends. Even going all the way from Hongdae to Gangnam is only about 15,000-20,000 won depending on where you are.
3. Coffee shops are empty before noon. For most Koreans, coffee shops aren’t for morning pick-me-ups, but places to be seen in the afternoon. If you want to avoid crowded coffee shops in Samcheong-dong or Buam-dong, you don’t have to get there too early. Coffee shops start to get really crowded around 3 or 4 o’clock. 

The Seoul Subway and Other Natural Beauties

Well after going on about reviving my blog, my computer decided it had other plans. One day I turned it off and it decided that it didn't feel like turning back on. But alas, after having my lovely parents ship my back up hard drive from the States, my computer is alive! My apologies for the false start, here's to reviving the blog part two.

I had a few posts in the works before my computer went down which I am still working on, but in the mean time, I realized looking through my phone that I had unknowingly amassed a small collection of cityscapes taken while riding the Seoul subway. Some I have posted before but I thought it was fun to look at them altogether. They cover the four seasons, a few different Seoul bridges, and train windows of varying cleanliness.

 

 In some ways it's unsettling to see such "a testament to time's relentless melt", the last ten months as I've ridden past them, but I feel optimistic knowing that despite all the time that has passed, the feeling of wonder and excitement at passing over this bridge has yet to subside. My wonder isn't reserved just for weekend trips and fancy tourist attractions.  One of the best parts of living abroad is that even the most routine things still can still amaze you. And I know it's these routine things  that I will miss the most when I leave.

I've also have a similar collection of photos of the river located next to my school.

I like these photos especially. Every time I wonder why I decided to spend my post college years living in the Korean countryside (some days it happens), I scroll through my phone and look at them. I took these photos during a regular lunch break. And I every time I look at them I feel the same feeling. It's lunch time, I'm in Korea, I'm in Asia, I've got a great view, and it's awesome.

The Wedding Dress Story

I am the cupcake bunny, hear me roar.

Contrary to what this photo might lead you to believe, I'm not one of those girls with a Pinterest account dedicated to my dream wedding. So how did this happen?

Well, in addition to the seemingly inescapable "Gangnam Style", Seoul is also becoming known for its abundance of cute and over the top themed cafes. Back in October I wrote about my experience at one of Seoul's many Cat Cafes, where you can mingle with cats and coffee. Last weekend I finally took a long awaited trip to the Princess Diary Cafe, where one can spend the afternoon reliving their childhood days playing dress up in their mother's closet.

So how does the Princess Diary Cafe work? Here's a breakdown:

Step 1: Enter the cafe, attempt to speak with the hostess in broken Korean.
Step 2: Order coffee and/or food.
Step 3: Put on your make-up, do your hair, and use the restroom if necessary.
Step 4: Pick a wedding dress to wear. Dresses range from 10,000 to 30,000 won to put on.
Step 5: Get pinned into said wedding dress by an assistant. Watch out for the dress needles! No safety pins here. Then add accessories, like a tiara or animal ears.
Step 6: Be surprised and thrilled at how fun it is to have your own personal, fake wedding photo shoot with your friends.
Step 7: Try not to be bewildered and/or giggle at the couple that just walked in. Yes, that guy is going to take fake wedding photos with his girlfriend and genuinely enjoy it. In fact, it might even have been his idea to come here.
Step 8: Take off wedding dress.
Step 9: Enjoy delicious coffee and food.

Me and my friend Nadia saying yes to the dress.

They had a corner with special lighting to make your skin look flawless.

Some might find it absurd to pay $30 to try on a wedding dress for an hour, but culturally it make sense. As young adults Korean don't have opportunities like prom or formal school functions to play dress up. And for their weddings, dresses are usually custom made, so there is no "Say Yes to the Dress" style dress selection sessions for women. In general it's difficult to find many stores where you can just go in and try on fancy dresses like you might at a department store in the States.

Considering how much people spend on things like prom and other one night events, $30 to wear a fancy dress for an hour actually doesn't seem so bad. The most surprising thing for me is how common it is for couples to come to the cafe. When I imagine asking a boyfriend in the States to join me for a fake wedding photo shoot and coffee, I imagine the back of his head becoming a spec of dust on the horizon as he runs for the hills. I'm sure there are Korean guys who go just to please their girlfriends and don't genuinely enjoy the experience, but believe it or not I think there also are many that do enjoy it.

While most would jump to the go-to-conclusion that Korean men tend to be more effeminate, I think their willingness to play dress up is actually due more to cultural differences in dating and relationships. First it's true, in Korean dating culture, men are definitely expected to go the extra mile for their girlfriends. Chivalry is without a doubt alive and kicking (if I had a dollar for every time I saw a guy holding their girlfriend's purse...).

Therefore doing something like taking fake wedding photos with your girlfriend doesn't seem as extreme here as it might in the States. You can see this high expectation for romance played out in Korean films and TV dramas (something that has no doubt attributed to their popularity in the US and abroad). I think as a culture, romance in Korea is something desired equally by men and women, it's not a "girl thing."

Second, I think this can be further attributed to the fact that the general attitude toward marriage is different. At least in some social circles, marriage among young couples in America is treated as a far off distant prospect, something that is difficult to imagine yourself doing. People get into relationships to "see where it goes" or relationships that "aren't serious."

My experience dating in Korea is limited but I get the sense that relationships aren't usually treated so flippantly, or at least the prospect of marriage isn't something to be feared. Korea has very community oriented society, the idea of being married to someone for life doesn't signify giving up a part of one's self the way I think it does in the States.

When it comes to marriage for American men, I think the idea of getting married and having a family signifies giving up valued personal freedom and in no small part, some of one's manhood. On the other hand, for Korean men, it seems that having a wife and children makes you a man. When asking my male high school students what they want to be when they grow up, several have replied "a good father".  Most foreign girls who've dated Korean men will tell you that they aren't shy about dropping "L" word or discussing marriage. This isn't to say all Korean men want to be married and all American men don't, but the general attitude and dating culture feel pretty different.

It can be seen even in my own writing of the subject that Americans tend to treat love and marriage as taboo subjects within a relationship until the proverbial question has been popped. While I'm sure saying "I love you" is still a big deal in Korea, I don't think you'll hear any Korean girls harping on the difference between "love" and being "in love." For Koreans, these things are just part of the relationship deal. You can talk about love without "dropping the L bomb" and take jokey wedding photos because that's what couples do, they get married. At least some of them do eventually. And if you don't, your fake wedding photos will just be another thing to burn, along with his old t-shirt and that teddy bear he gave you.

The Cat Cafe...with real cats!

I knew I had to write a post dedicated the cat cafe photos which everyone on Facebook seemed to love. Yes, there are actually cat and dog cafes in Seoul where you can go have a coffee while you pet/feed the animals (the cat and dog cafes are separate of course).  Next weekend I want to try a dog cafe since the cat cafe is lacking in unconditional love, i.e. they won't even come near you to pet them if you don't buy treats for them to eat. Note the most popular man at the cat cafe, with his plethora of treats:

And how awesome is that grey and black cat?!

Of course there are rules. Don't grab, tease, or squeeze the cats. No human food either. These are princess cats and they must be treated as such...they have "requirement."

Lots of people had iPads to help them engage with the fluffy felines.

Including that kid in the back who actually had a cat toy application on his iPad....I'm 100% serious...I'm also 100% sure the cat wasn't having it. 

And don't forget the cat themed coffees! Pretty impressive coffee/ latte art considering people clearly don't come here for the coffee. My friend and I we're trying to imagine a group of American guys hitting up the cat cafe (*in frat boy voice*): "Yeah man I've just had a rough day. We should just go to the cat cafe...get some drinks and like, pet some cats."

I thought this cat was the cutest, but he was a total jerk. I unsuccessfully tried to pet him, so the nice Korean boy sitting next to me (his hands are pictured here) gave me some of his cat treats. What does that cat do when I held out my hand with the food? Knocks it out of my hand, onto the floor, eats it, and runs away...rude. If you're a cat lover, be aware, you better come prepared with some serious cat treats if you want any lovin' from these guys.

And in case you weren't totally overwhelmed being surrounded by cats on the floor, tables, and chairs, they can also run around on the ceiling! Overall it was an amusing experience...but I think I still prefer dogs. Will definitely be taking a trip to a dog cafe in the near future.

Baseball (and Cheering) in Korea

A few weeks ago I went to my first baseball game in Korea. While the game is the same, the experience is quite different. First the cost is much less prohibitive, as tickets (albeit in the nosebleed section) were only 10,000 won, or about 10 dollars. The stadium is on the small side though, so the view was still good. Best part? Once you're in, the prices of food and drinks (alcohol included) are the same prices as outside the stadium! No paying $9 for a beer that's worth $2.

We watched the Doosan Bears play the LG Twins. This was exciting because they are both Seoul teams who share the stadium. Usually one team plays their home game there while the other is away. One could say it was like watching the Seoul version of the subway series (Yankees vs. Mets for you non- New York area-ers). As you can tell however, unlike American teams, Korean teams are named for the companies that own them, not the state or city they represent. There are eight teams in the professional league, including the Kia Tigers and Samsung Lions. Also sound familiar?

I find it interesting that the teams only have English names. but I think it's meant to help them gain more international recognition. I'm under the impression that Korea has generally performed well in international baseball competitions. One area where Korean baseball undoubtedly surpasses American baseball is cheering. The fans participate in organized cheers and dances for the entire game, even when players are up at bat. Perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly, but I feel like at American games fans usually quiet down at least while the pitcher is throwing.

I didn't know what I wanted to watch more, the game, or the incredible displays of fan-dom taking place up in the stands. For your entertainment, here's a video of the cheering. You can see how fans sat on either side of the stadium depending on which team they were rooting for. I believe the far sides of the stadium are actually special "cheering sections" which require you to at least hold on to a pair of those inflatable noise maker things (that's the scientific term). The middle of the stadium where we sat had fans for both teams, sprinkled with indifferent spectators like myself, who generally did not partake in the organized singing and dancing.

The Korean War: History From the Other Side

Last weekend I took a trip to the Korean War Museum in Seoul. I think it was the first time I'd been to such a large museum dedicated to something that barely registers blip on the radar of the American conscious (at least for my generation). Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the exterior, but here's a picture of all the old military airplanes sitting out on the side lawn.

The museum was a big reminder of how selective our history textbooks are when it comes to re-creating the past. A brief history lesson for those whose memories might need refreshing (or just a complete freshing): After WWII, the Japanese surrendered Korea to the Allies (Japan had been ruling it officially since 1910- I'd give some background on the history between Japan and Korea, but I only have a blog post and not a 1,000 pages to write- what I will say is that if you're watching a Korea vs. Japan match in the Olympics, and you get the feeling that it's a little personal...you're probably right). The Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910-1945 resulted in much of the conflict we see between Japan and South Korea today.

Eyes glued to the Korea vs. Japan Judo match....

To the point: the Korean War broke out because of an arbitrary political division, that is, a border imposed along the 38th parallel by the Allies to separate Soviet (communist) controlled North Korea, from US (democratic-ish) controlled South Korea. Now if we take away anything from imperial/ colonial history, I think it should be that arbitrary, externally imposed divisions of any kind: geographic, ethnic, economic...usually result in big problems.

In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea and briefly occupied the majority of the country. The UN permitted an intervention, for the which the US provided the vast majority of foreign troops. The UN forces helped quickly push back the North Koreans behind the 38th parallel, and most thought it would be a swift victory...until the Chinese intervened on behalf of the North Koreans.  The bloodiest months of the war were spent fighting over mere kilometers surrounding the border that still exists today, the demilitarized zone, or DMZ. (*Note: this is a brief, bare bones summary of what happened...most of which I learned at the museum).

Most reasons for the lack of attention given to the Korean War tare obvious: it came after the largest war in history, it never generated as much controversy as the Vietnam War, and unless you've been following the Samsung v. Apple lawsuit, South Korea isn't a country we normally think about when it comes to international issues (North Korea on the other hand...).  It's easy to forget that the Korean War technically isn't over. In 1953 North and South Korea signed an armistice or ceasefire, not a peace treaty, which is why there are still fears about attacks from North Korea. Though I don't think it's at all likely, it does explain all of the emergency gear in the subways, which I naively pointed out in a previous post as weird, zombie- apocalypse precautions:

 
The oddest thing about the museum was the mock firing range. I usually think of war museums as places that promote a "never again" message. But considering that tensions still exist and military service is compulsory, I guess it doesn't seem so out of place. The "guns" even had kick back:

In the museum they also have some ideas about what future soldiers will look like:

And due to what seems to be a lack of primary images, etc, there are also a lot of natural-history-museum style dioramas depicting certain events. I don't have any photos, but there was even an entire room modelled after a war time South Korean village- i.e. lots of shacks.

This is a model of an infamous incident where North Korean troops massacred South Korean soldiers trying to cut down a tree that was blocking their line of sight.

I have had a few discussions with Koreans and foreigners about whether or not they think South and North Korea will, or ever even could reunite (it would be a huge economic and social burden on South Korea). Opinions are definitely mixed. My English class today provided a great example. I had the students create their own mascots for the 2018 Winter Olympics which will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. One group named their mascot after a mountain in North Korea to express their desire for unification.

To me this demonstrates not only how students feel about the state of the country, but also indicates something about how important it is for them to confront their identity as South Korea continues to open up to global culture. As I've said before, one of the most interesting things about being here is that in terms of modernization, South Korea is still a young country, navigating the cultural and social woes of entering an increasingly interconnected world, where Eastern and Western cultural lines are becoming more and more blurred.

To end on a lighter note, the haze finally cleared up enough for me to get some good pictures of the mountains I see on the bus ride coming from Seoul to Yeoju. Even along the highway the Korean landscape is beautiful.

In cute news, I recently discovered that these guys live across the street from my apartment complex. Korea is a tiny country so you have to squeeze in farms and animals where ever you can.

The big guy at the front was quacking at me as I drove by on my bike.

And finally, in awesome news...I got my first paycheck and decided to upgrade to a much newer, faster bike. It originally had a flower sticker on the front which I had to rip off. Now I'm really cool:

Watch out pedestrians of Korea...I can break 35 mph now...

Climbing in Korea: The Great Helicopter Rescue

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I joined a group called Climbing in Korea (CIK) to do hikes. This weekend we went back Gangwon-Do province, but this time to a small town called Inje, where we ditched the rafts for some rock hopping. Having learned my lesson from the last hike, in which I found myself on an unexpectedly steep uphill climb, I figured that when they said we would be walking through the river with "our feet immersed" that we would actually be walking through waist deep water. Thankfully I came prepared to swim:

Post- posing by a waterfall picture (sorry I don't have it!). We went swimming too.

 That wasn't a jab at CIK, I love their hikes, I just feel anyone who joins should be warned that their hikes aren't necessarily for beginners (or those looking to stay dry if there is a river involved)!

The fallen tree really heightens the dramatic effect of wading through the river here...actually the river was very pretty:

Taken from the top of a boulder which I barely made it off of...sometimes hiking and short legs don't mix.

Unfortunately I got some water on my camera lens (the perils of hiking) but you get the idea. Nothing however, was more dramatic than this:

We were taking a break when suddenly this helicopter emerges from around the bend. For a second it sort of felt like that scene in Avatar when they wake up to those giant tree crushing machines about to take down Eiwa (alright honestly, the analogy that first popped into my head was that it sounded like some Northern neighbors were invading, but somehow that seemed inappropriate). 

Anyway, what we thought was some kind of Korean ranger practice turned out to be a real rescue mission for a...wait for it....a hiker who had sprained his ankle. While this seems super excessive, the trail was actually extremely rocky. Between that and having to wade through the river, it would have been nearly impossible to carry an injured person to the end of the hike. And the scene unfolds:

Here's Rescue Man #1 coming to save the day...the pictures are a little washed out because of all the water being stirred up by the helicopter...I don't know how many of you have ever had the pleasure of sitting beneath a helicopter in operation...but it's loud, windy, and doesn't go well with water.

Rescue Man #1, Rescue Man #2, and a lovely man from CIK helping out sprained-ankle guy...who I'm sure was a bit embarrassed by this whole scene (mind you there were about 50 other hikers sitting behind me also watching this happen). 

And there it goes...while this was happening we also realized that there was a snake on the boulder we were all sitting on (just a little guy, but still mildly terrifying). Never a dull moment in Korea...

The next day I hung around Seoul and walked to Insadong, which is the artsy walking district downtown. I'll do another post on it later when I get to see/ know more of it. On my way home though I finally passed the Cheonggyecheon River which I'd been wanting to see. It's a river that flows through downtown Seoul. It used to be covered up but recently became the focus of a massive urban renewal project, so they've been building all of this awesome park space around it. Kind of like the High Line in NYC, but for a river...

No cute news this week, but here's a photo of a cool magnet from a gallery in Insadong, complete with a wannabe Marilyn Monroe (a poor substitute I know....sorry!)

Gyeongbokgung Palace

So in general I won't post about every museum/palace/art gallery, etc I see because it would make this blog endless and boring, but it's definitely worth mentioning Gyeongbokgung (just sound it out) Palace in Seoul since it is one of the most famous attractions. However, I'm less interested in writing about its cultural/ historical value, than its aesthetic appeal. I'm not sure how often people recommend this...but I would pay the $2 entrance fee just to sit here every once and a while:

Although there are lots of tourists milling around, the palace grounds are so huge and there is so much to see that it's pretty easy to find a relatively quiet spot to sit, relax, and enjoy the view. To give you an idea of how big this place is (keep in mind that this place is also smack dab in the middle of downtown Seoul) here is map of the complex. This part above, the lake shrine area as I'm going to call it, is just the part that I circled on the map:

Guided tours take about two hours. However, after taking a whirlwind tour of Hongdae the night before I wasn't up for a two hour history lesson, so I read the little guide book which contained the above map instead. What I really learned from this guide book? Why, among many many other reasons, the Koreans have every right to hold a grudge against the Japanese. This palace was first built in 1395, but the original structures are virtually gone because the Japanese completely destroyed it...twice.  Parts of it are still in the process of restoration.

I'm glad they're working on it though. Here's the view from the bench I sat on for about 45 minutes:

If you want to be truly amazed, I'd recommend coming here just to take a walk...I realize the history is important, but sometimes it's nice to actually absorb and truly see your surroundings, rather than listen to a tour guide drone on for two hours and rush from building to building. Instead, try to retain some of the wonder. You can also come here and be amazed at this:

And crane your neck to gawk at ceilings like this:

Unfortunately it's not the greatest picture since I took it with my iPhone and basically had to lie down on the ground to snap the picture (you can't physically walk into many of the buildings, you have to look from outside), but you can get the idea of how elaborate the interiors of these buildings are.

Ta ta for now! Enjoy the view!