Pororo, Pool, and Parks

After our Expo excursion, we brought Stephanie and Emma to Seoul to enjoy some time with us while Ben was in Houston.  As usual, it was one big party!  Our first outing was to a place called Pororo Land.  Pororo is the most popular children's cartoon character in Korea, and this play place was typical of many around Seoul with it's cute characters and decor that invite thousands of photo opportunities.  We were able to stay for three shows which Emma really enjoyed:  a magic show, a 3-D Pororo adventure, and a character sing-along performance.  I guess that's why parents are charged an admission fee.  (That's Pororo with the glasses!)

The following day, we decided to check out the Supia Swim Park on Yeouido.  We decided water fun is a necessity in order to survive the hot and humid summers of Seoul (but not a good place for a camera).  The third day, Stephanie and Emma needed a change of pace, so I stayed home and played with Emma, while Stephanie took off on the subway to do some shopping.

Saturday, Bob was able to join us as we explored Childrens' Grand Park.  The name says it all:  this huge park has everything a kid could desire!  There was a zoo, a petting area, camel and pony rides, an amusement park, a water play area, performances, botanical gardens, playgrounds, a marine animal house, a parrot village, aquatic birds, musical fountains and a kids auto park.  It was more than we could do in one day, but we covered a lot of it.  It was fabulous, and I only wish we had visited here with all the family.

 Oh . . . look; it's a five-legged elephant!

Ben arrived late that afternoon, and we headed to the recently discovered "Taco Bell" in Itaewon.  We picked up a box of tacos and headed to Banpo River Park to watch the colorful water fountain show off the bridge.  We were surprised and delighted to see the river ferries gather in the middle of the Han River to watch a fireworks display.  With a band playing music in the background and the rhythmic flow of fountains spraying across the river, it made for a magical night in Seoul.