Time to get out of the apartment!

  It's hard to imagine that I now think 45 degrees F or higher is warm but after an entire month of January below freezing, it is.  I had no particular place in mind I just knew it was time to get out of the apartment.  We had been in most of the day on Saturday except for a short walk along the river in the afternoon and dinner out at David's new favorite place "The Fry Pan".  I didn't want to let another beautiful day go by without spending some time outside.  You just never know when it is going to get cold again and even snow here.

  I searched for a few destinations online and although there are a few more palaces in Seoul I want to see, most of them are known for their gardens.  So waiting for Spring for a visit just makes sense.  We decided on Namhansanseong Fortress because it is close by.  We plot the route on the subway, pack some water and some snacks and off we go!

  We have become very adept at the subway system and even emerge at the correct exit to head to the fortress.  We were waved off by two taxis so we figure it couldn't be very far.  Little did we know...

  I spotted some steps leading to a trail and several people heading that way so I suggested we just walk up the hill.  After all, we were here to enjoy the outdoors and get in a walk anyway.  We were definitely going to get in a walk!  By the end of the day we walked well over 4km and that's not counting the vertical up and downs we did!  The trail was beautiful.  The views of Seoul were spectacular.  We even saw some of the foxhole systems leftover from the war.  It was fascinating.

Bench!  Taking a quick rest break along the path.

Seoul in the background.

Some more of the beautiful views along the trail.

  When we finally reached the fortress proper David recognized the place as one of the destinations of an earlier field trip.  Evidently they came here as a school back in September.  It just happened to be the one field trip I didn't attend this year! 

Finally the Fortress after 4km.  None of these people were on the trail with us and I'm not sure where they came from!

A little bridge over a frozen stream.

  There were so many people in the fortress itself enjoying the same beautiful weather we were.  Tired from the 4k trip,  we ended up only staying for about 30 minutes and then making our way back home.  This time we found the right bus back to the subway station so the next time we come we can take the bus UP the hill and enjoy the fortress.