Kkachi Seollal (Lunar New Year's Eve)

The Day before the Lunar New Year is known as "kkachi seollal," and this year the weather miraculously let up and we had a sunny, spring-like mild day.  We decided to go to, surprise (I know), Namsan and race to the top.  Tashi and I walked up the 3.3 km to the top of the hill and the kids rode the bus with Jack after some hot cocoa from the vending machines at the foot of the hill.  They, of course, won, but we were not far behind.  It's a bit of an unfair advantage since the bus goes way faster once you get on and the bus does not have to stop for potty breaks and flower sniffing along the way. 

Once we got to the top, Tashi forgot his good manners and ran towards Jack.  It's really cute to see how excited he is to see the kids and Jack.

At the top of Namsan near Seoul Tower people were out walking their dogs, playing yut nori and other traditional games, and just generally enjoying the beautiful weather.  Tashi, for one, loved chasing the pigeons.  We didn't bring the retractable leash, so felt a little bad that we couldn't let him go nuts chasing birds for a few minutes.  He didn't seem to mind, though.

After relaxing a bit, we headed down the short cut to the walking/running path that surrounds the base of Namsan.  Tashi has a habit of pulling ahead, especially if he thinks he knows where he is going, so we had to stop a few times to remind him that wasn't cool.  Usually, making him sit and stay for a few seconds calms him down momentarily.

After Namsan, we headed to the banks of the Han River where the kids could run around and play on one of the many playgrounds in the area.  People were out flying kites and riding bikes.  While the landscape emerging from under the melting snow is brown and, honestly, a little icky, it was still beautiful.  Tashi discovered that, not only does he love grass, but he loves to roll around in it.  He went a little insane at the park and ripped a hole in my coat (bad dog).  Oliver, below, found his puppy dog tail plant that he loves, and Jack snapped a photo of me in front of the apt buildings he says will be our future home--that's wishful thinking as they are among the most expensive in Seoul.  I, personally, prefer our little Gwanak neighborhood because it's relatively clean and not congested compared to other parts of Seoul. Anyway, loved the beautiful, mild day and the chance to spend most of it outside without freezing as we said goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and hello to the Year of the Rabbit.