Day 5 In Seoul

N Seoul Tower





Jeff here...

Well it started to drizzle late yesterday afternoon, and then progressed into heavy rain through the night (Wednesday day and night), and it lasted all day today. However, this being our last day we were not about to let some rain get in our way. So we pulled out our rain gear and umbrella and packed up everything for the day and set off...Seoul Tower here we come. As we exited our building the rain was coming down and as I followed Amber and Adelyn I decided to put my hood up so I could keep my head dry...not the best idea. As soon as Adelyn saw me she started to scream and cry...I took my hood off and she was able to calm down...there goes all the work I put into my hair this morning (LOL). By now we are experts at getting on and off the Korean subway system. However the entire train ride we had to stand since Adelyn hates to sit down. After the subway, we needed a bus, no problem, just pick a stranger out and ask them..it is amazing how the Korean people are so willing to help out perfect strangers. After some directions to the bus stop we managed to find the correct bus to take to the base of the Seoul tower (helped not by Koreans, but by a couple of young Japanese women...go figure). Adelyn was in a great mood as we traveled and she even provided entertainment for those on the bus squealing and laughing as people would play peek-a-boo with her.

Seoul tower is the tallest and most easily recognizable land mark in Seoul and I have read one of the most picturesque places to visit. Well... not so picturesque for us since from the observation tower we could see maybe four feet out since the summit was covered in a thick, dense blanket of fog, and rain. We still had a great time going up, mailing a card home to Adelyn from the highest post office in Seoul, and enjoying a bit of chocolate at a little cafe at the top.


































After that it was back down to the base to do the most important thing of all...we went to put Adelyn's lock of love on the tower. It is a tradition that lovers come to the tower, place a lock there, then throw the key over the side to symbolize that they will be locked together in love forever. It has been popular with adoptive parents too as they symbolize their love lasting forever. We had decorated the lock at home. It had her name on one side, Forever Family on the other, GOTCHA DAY on the tiny side and we left it blank to fill in the date of her GOTCHA DAY on the opposite tiny side.
















This wasn't our idea, people have been placing the locks on the tower for years. The story goes something like this...

"From old times, there was a story that if lovers make a wish at a shrine on Nam-San (Mt. South) it comes true. Since that, this place became a symbol of the place of promising and everlasting love for a couple with the hanging of a lock together. Hanging a lock of love is not just an expression of a couples' love by hanging locks, but meaning endless love..."

Here is an article that Lauren (How the Bush Grows) found and posted on her blog.

SEOUL TOWER LOCKED IN EVERLASTING LOVE

By Park Ji-yun

Korea Times Intern

Commanding a spectacular night view, N Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan in central Seoul is emerging as a must-see for a growing number of couples, young and old. Along the ground terrace attached to the tower, hundreds of locks are hanging, showing off the eternal love of their owners.

The locks hanging on the fences with the keys thrown away are meant to ensure sweethearts’ vows to never separate are kept.

The idea of hanging locks originated from local tourists a few years ago who saw the same thing at Tokyo Tower. It is now enjoying a renewal after two TV stars, singer Alex and model Sinae, were seen dating there in the MBC reality program ``We’ve Got Married.’’ N Seoul Tower’s ``Locks of Love’’ event was chosen as a reunion venue for the celebrities on June 15 and since then has drawn great public attention.

``Lock sales have increased sharply after the scene was broadcast,’’ said Lee Jung-hoon, a member of the tower’s management.

A couple ― Do-hyeon and Yun-sang ― visited the place to celebrate the 3,000-day anniversary of their first meeting. The lock they hung reads, ``CYS, KDH since May 1, 2000. Let’s love happily forever.’’ The couple said they plan to visit the ``guardian’’ of their love again when they have a baby. ``It is a very special moment for us as we promised to love each other at this beautiful place with all the other locks,’’ Doh-yeon recalled.

The venue has also become quite international as foreign tourists, mainly from the U.S., Japan and China, do the same when they go to the top of Mt. Namsan by cable car or foot. A landmark of Seoul, the tower is 480 meters above sea level, standing atop 262-meter-high Mt. Namsan.

``We’ve never seen such an event elsewhere. I think it is a beautiful idea for lovers,’’ said Michelle and Michael, a U.S. couple who received a lock as their seventh wedding anniversary present from a Korean friend.

Most of the locks are decorated with drawings and stickers while some cannot even be called locks. Some used chain locks for bikes shaped as hearts, as well as pink and red heart-shaped ribbons on their locks.

Now that there are so many locks hanging, tower staff members are worried about maintaining them. ``From the weight of the locks, the fences are starting to bend. However, we currently have no plans to increase space,’’ Lee said.

As the number of locks increases, so does the number of problems they cause. As almost all the fences are filled with them, it is hardly possible for children to enjoy the surrounding view.

Since the event includes throwing away keys to prevent locks from being opened, there is a danger that other people under the terrace might be hit.

The tower operator put up a sign instructing lovers not to throw keys away and set up a ``key bin’’ for them. Some couples also hang their locks in inappropriate places, such as road barricades.

In some cases, the locks seem to have no binding power for couples. Lee said he saw a man who had come two months earlier return with a different woman. ``I was pretty shocked since I did the same with my girlfriend,’’ he said. “Sadly, this episode proves that some loves cannot be protected even by hanging strong, hard metal locks.’’

However, no matter how much locks save true love, N Seoul Tower’s Locks of Love will likely remain a memorable event for many couples who are willing to share and express their love, he said.


So it was our turn to leave a piece of us, a symbol of our love for Adelyn, Korea and our forever family. We decided to hang Adelyn's lock on one of the lock trees, more importantly the middle tree, third rung up left hand side. Then there was the key...well the tradition is to throw the key over the edge so the key went over the edge into the trees to be lost forever (I just hope I didn't hit anybody..LOL), forever locked on that tree, just like our forever family.


























































































































After that our day ended with one final visit to the Gyeongbokgung palace. By the time we got there, however, it was pouring down rain. But we did manage to sneak in a few shots of the three of us with the palace gates in the background. Even though the weather left much to be desired, it was another perfect day here in Seoul, our last day out to experience this magnificent city and culture. Tomorrow...the plane ride home.