Wide-Eyed And Travel: The Five Best Things I Did In Seoul...

...other than fashion week, of course...

While I had a rocky, jet-lagged, embarrassing start in Seoul (involving publicly humiliating myself, running away in terror at a stupid mistake and being very overwhelmed by the alienness of everything) that made me so afraid I didn't want to leave my hotel, I quickly got over it and had the time of my life. I've never been alone, or away by myself, for a week before so that was a novelty but it was also a luxury that allowed me to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted (around my fashion week schedule).

I spent one day shopping and wandering, another on a museum crawl and others exploring specific districts. I made a major dent in the long list of places I had seen in vlogs and blogs that I wanted to visit. I ate when I was hungry and skipped meals in favour of getting to the next place on my list, as I saw fit. On the other hand, I slept in in the morning at my hotel or sat in a café for hours with a book when that suited me too. It was utterly delicious levels of freedom. And Seoul itself stunned me. It was not love at first sight but now it is a very intense long-distance affair. I cannot wait to get back to do all the things I didn't get to tick off my list.

To discuss all the highs would be impossible in one post but I thought listing five of the best things I did in Seoul might help give a picture of just why I'm so obsessed with the city now.

1. Cafés

European café culture is something that I'm a massive fan of, though it is not quite present in Ireland. However, Korean café culture is on a whole other level. The majority of cafés in Seoul are beautifully designed, wonderful places, where you can avail of wifi, charge your phone, get a tasty drink and adorable snack, and relax. Often themed or within stores, I was in a couple flower cafés (a type that combines café and actual florist or incorporates a large amount of plants into the design of the store), both of Stylenanda's super-extra Pink Pool café's (one of which has an actual pool in it - though you can't swim in it), some Hanok (traditional-style houses) cafés in Insadong, a K-pop themed café that was run in collaboration with a record label, some cute neighbourhood cafés, and more.

Commonalities among them all, whether they were chains or themed or small or large, were the fact that everything is presented on a little tray looks adorable in photographs, attention-to-detail was insane and everything was Instagram-friendly. Admittedly, things in cafés are kind of expensive - you can get a nice meal for under 10,000 won but tea and cake will cost you around 15,000 won in a café - but it is worth it for the whole experience. Because that's what it is, an experience. I spent a lot of my trip in cafés, so I can't stress enough how integral they are to enjoying the city! Pro-tip: order the Yujacha (citrus tea) - as long as you're not diabetic (so sugary)!

2. Deoksugung

There are several palaces in Seoul, the most famous being the grand palace of Gyeongbokgung, and each has something different to offer. All are stunning examples of traditional architecture and culture but Deoksugung - at least on a Tuesday morning - is the most peaceful and lovely. It isn't the grandest or flashiest but it is simple and charming and I fell utterly in love. It is only a couple of quid in and then you can wander around the grounds. Most lovely is the fact that everything is arranged to frame even the least interesting, or pretty, views beautifully. A perfect postcard image is at every turn.

Crowds are relatively small and are mostly local tourists, which makes for quiet and reflective wandering and peaceful admiration of your surroundings. An added bonus is that the palace is home to some stunning 19th century Western-style buildings, one of which is home to a branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, where I was lucky enough to catch a great exhibition on Korean female artists. It only costs a couple thousand won more to enter and, if the exhibition that is currently on show is anything like the one I attended, it will be well-laid out, with some English information panels and some fascinating works on display. I could go on and on about this whole place, but I won't!

3. Daelim Museum

Speaking of museums, another one that I went to and loved was the Daelim Museum. More expensive than a state-owned museum, it is, however, constantly home to fascinating, wide-scale international exhibitions on interesting themes. The exhibition that I saw was called, "Paper, Present," and was made up of works from a variety of international artists and design teams that were entirely made out of paper. It made me completely rethink my idea of paper as a medium and was stunning. It was also, like so much of Korea, very Insta-friendly, and the staff were lovely enough to help a solo-traveller like me get some photos!

4. Mango Plate

So, Mango Plate is actually an app, not a place or thing, but it opened the door to some wonderful culinary experiences. It is a popular and well-used app that ranks restaurants in the city (some of it is in English) and allows users to post reviews, photographs, menus, tips and more. Extremely useful and with some discerning picks, I used it on a daily basis. However, be warned, it may lead you to places that are very much largely locals only so be sure to hold on to your courage and try new things!

5. Shopping

Like with the cafés, so many of the stores in Seoul are beautifully-designed dreams, full of wonderful things. Fashion and beauty are serious business, so if you're interested in either, you'll be delighted but there are all sorts of unique experiences that anyone can enjoy. Be sure to check out:

(a) Stylenanda: The aforementioned café isn't all there is to the place. The clothes are seriously cool, the themed Stylenanda Hotel is an insanely-extra and magical shopping experience, and their makeup brand, 3CE, is adorable. Plus, you have the cafés right there to refuel. There are two locations, in Myeongdong and Hongdae, and both are worth a visit.

(b) Ader Error: Another extra shop (technically menswear), this is half-museum, half-store and needs to be seen to be believed. Spoiler: you enter through a mattress.

(c) Gentle Monster: A sunglasses brand that has multiple locations, all themed, all several floors, all with lots of space used for everything bar displaying their wares.

(d) Department Stores: The Korean version of a high-end department store is even more elegant and perfect. Seriously. Glittering marble and powder rooms everywhere.

(e) Underground Malls: At a lot of metro stations in Seoul there are also underground shopping malls, some of which are sprawling and massive. You'll find all sorts on sale, often into the wee hours, great deals and room to bargain.

(f) Aland: Another popular chain full of Hypebeast-cool clothes (for both genders), beauty products, small homeware bits and a vintage section, this is kind of like a cooler Urban Outfitters. Plus, the one I was in had a ball pit in it. Obviously.

(g) Co-Ex Mall: With a giant stunning library/bookstore at the centre, massive food court, international highstreet chains and Korean brands, this massive mall has some beautiful surprises and is filled with gems.

I could still talk for hours and hours (and probably will, at some point) but those are just five of the best things I did in Seoul. Hopefully, I get to go back soon and add to the list!

Have you ever been to the city? What did you love? Any recommendations for my next visit?

That's all for now, 안녕!

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36 Hours in Belfast - What To See, Where To Eat, The Best Place For A Drink

In January, my baby brother started his first full-time job and moved to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Suddenly, our youngest was a few hours away from all of us and fending for himself all of a sudden, not surrounded by the wall of women who are always ready to go to bat for him. We were all, understandably, concerned for him. But I was also so excited for his career and the opportunity for him to stand on his own and explore a new city.

While I was totally supporting his independence, I wanted to help ease him into it and get settled. So, on only his second weekend in Belfast, I was already headed for a visit. After a two hour train journey from Dublin's Connolly Station to Belfast Central (which was spent on a lovely train occupied by a decidedly unlovely and rowdy crowd of people going to party in Belfast for the weekend) and a confusing time of trying to find each other, we were reunited. James took me on an exceptionally scenic route through periods of drizzle and we eventually reached his place, where we ate Tayto sandwiches (the Northern variety are, apparently, somewhat different?) and watched Netflix.

The next day, the touristing began and, it was only later, an hour before I got my train back home on Sunday, that we discovered that we actually did every single thing on the official tourist "must-see" list (bar hitting up the Titanic Museum). We headed to Queen's University so I could perv on the stunning red brick facades and, from there, went into the park adjacent where the Botanic Gardens and Ulster Museum are located. The Botanic Gardens are much smaller than those in Dublin but are in a similarly pretty 19th century greenhouse that is perfectly photogenic and a lovely place for a quick stroll. Don't expect hours of amusement but, as it is free, it's a nice little stop-off, especially en route to the Ulster Museum. Said museum is fantastic. We spent four hours there, checking out the art, the dinosaurs, the mummy, the Game of Thrones tapestry, the natural history and science exhibits...all of it. Relatively compact but full of things to see and with especially excellent facilities for kids, we enjoyed it thoroughly and put off filling our empty stomachs longer than we normally would, in order to see it all.

Once our stomachs could no longer be ignored, we headed to the little Korean Cafe that I had spotted the day before (and mentioned in my last post on where to get Korean food in Ireland), Cafe Arirang on Botanic Avenue. A cute, wee family-run cafe that serves tasty treats that you don't always find on menus here. We got the bulgogi kimbap, tteokbokki, spicy noodles and fried dumplings between us and it was quite the feast.

Full and no longer faint, we then headed to explore the city and I was amazed by how big and built-up the centre is, considering the relatively small population. Architecturally, the centre is rather diverse, with a lot of beautifully preserved buildings centred around the City Hall and then spreading out into a combination of more modern builds and historic warehouses. There is a lot to see and I wondered why no one had ever mentioned that it's quite a pretty city to me before. Of course, I often have to defend how beautiful Dublin is to people, so it doesn't surprise me that many don't have much admiration for Irish city planning. However, I digress. My point is: the centre is compact but interesting and is also home to the Victoria Square Shopping Centre, a vast glass-roofed shopping street that has all the high street chains you might be looking for (and some little gems besides), a cinema, and some restaurants. Its crowning glory is a tall viewing platform that goes up to just beneath the glass dome and from which there is an amazing view over the whole city. We arrived just before sunset and managed to catch it there, though my legs shook in fear the whole time. It's a great view, that I recommend checking out but not if you're afraid of heights. I'm not and I was still scared stiff.

A little shaken from the experience, I was in need of drink and the drizzle and wind that appeared with the dusk made us head off in search of shelter. On the way to one bar, a second nasty gust of wind sent us into The Merchant. Trust me to stumble into a five-star hotel...how bougie, I know. But the Victorian and Art Deco former bank is a beaut and their bar is excellent: not too warm, not too loud, great cocktail menu and truly excellent service. At between ten to fifteen pounds for a cocktail, it is, by no means, cheap but isn't truly insane either. I've paid that price for a nice drink plenty of times at home. My brother got a drink that was akin to mulled wine (delighted to have found somewhere to get his fix year round) and I had a trusty Whiskey Sour. I wasn't overly blown away by the drink itself but the surroundings were so lovely that I'd return in a heartbeat. In fact, I liked the whole place so much that I'm considering staying there when I visit with the BFF later in the year.

The next day we had a slow start before grabbing lunch in St George's Market. Let me tell you, it's the perfect spot for a slow, happy Sunday. Live bands play at the core of the market, there are stalls of clothes, trinkets, vintage pieces, artworks and more to browse, and there is a decent food court. We wandered around the stalls of Belfast's last surviving Victorian covered market to work up an appetite and then I grabbed some falafel, my brother got a burrito. We sat down together just far enough from the music to hear it and still have a conversation. Then we followed it all up with some delicious and well-priced cakes from a stall called Dezurts. I even bought some of their famous and v Insta-friendly unicorn meringues to bring back for my sister.

Lastly, we popped over to City Hall and checked out the excellent exhibitions there (I cried at how beautiful and well done one of the rooms about the Troubles was), papped an outfit shot and picked up the brochure that told us we had just done everything on the must-see list (bar the Titanic Museum).

Even still, there's lots of stuff that's off the beaten track that I want to do and we're planning my next trip already, which was exactly what we discussed as we walked to the train station. I really fell in love with Belfast and can't wait to return. There are so many restaurants and bars that look great and cool galleries and cultural venues to check out. And now that it's home to my precious babby bro, I want to know more about it. If you're looking for somewhere to head off for the weekend, I highly recommend it: there are a lot of things to do for free, it's easy to navigate and get around, and (as mentioned) lots of places to eat and drink. Keep an eye for more adventures in Belfast in the future here as there are bound to be plenty!

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A Farewell from one Colette to another: 24 Hours In Paris

"Fuck it. Why not?"

It's been a year of that for me. Saying yes. Living in the moment. Spending my time outside, with friends and family and great people, all the time, instead of at home being a reclusive nerd. It was exhausting at times, I'll admit, but it was endlessly rewarding. I'll likely calm down in the New Year (about damn time) and not plan out every second of my life but I don't regret living that way for a year. I've strengthened bonds and done fun things and been new places and, sometimes, I've been spontaneous in the way that I've always wanted to be. Which is how I ended up booking a 24 hour trip to Paris, simply to say goodbye to a clothing store.

Colette closes its doors for good tomorrow and when I found that out, I was impossibly sad. It was the end of the era. The end of one of the coolest boutiques the world has ever known. I was never going to take another goofy photo underneath the sign, pointing up and grinning over our shared names. I would never again marvel over cool things I couldn't afford in the store or pick out a magazine from the incredibly hip curation of publications or wonder if getting one of the lucky bags was worth it. I wouldn't get to say goodbye.

I briefly entertained flying in for a visit to say my farewells but a browse of the websites of the airlines connecting Paris and Dublin made it apparent that it would be far too expensive. I moved on with my day, gradually coming to think that the whole idea was silly in the first place. Flying into another country for a day to say goodbye to a shop? What kind of madness was that? I forgot about the whole thing.

Then, some weeks later, Ryanair announced a sale on their site and I looked again, out of curiosity. 56 quid return journey. Doable. The price of taking a train to Galway for a night...I contacted a friend to see if he could put me up for the night and, suddenly, an hour later, my mad trip to Paris to say goodbye to a clothing store with the same name as me was happening.

When I told people, they frowned in confusion or laughed and waved a hand at me like, 'Oh, Colette, you're so silly'. My best and most supportive friend cheered me on for going for it. I didn't really care either way. It was something I wanted to do and I hated the idea of the store being gone forever and my regret at never having seen it again, at not being able to change that if I didn't go for it, at not being brave enough to say, "Fuck it. Why not?" one last time this year.

Cue Thursday last week and landing at Beauvais just before 11. I cursed Beauvais many times over the trip (as I always do, that goddamn shed) and flying there did cause several ordeals, even if it was the only viable option. An hour's bus to Paris, the confusion of trying to remember where the Metro station was at Porte Maillot, being mistaken for a local by several people who tried to ask me for directions in French, shaking my head wildly as I tried to remember what French hasn't melted out my ears over the years, finding the Metro, planning a route, discovering my stop was closed, getting off a the next stop in a panic, being unsure of how to proceed, stumbling across some Brits who turned out to be going the same way and finally ending up at my friend's house.

After all of that panicking, said friend welcomed me with Champagne (he'd gone to an acquaintance's vineyard and stocked up over the summer - as one does), fresh pastries and hours of conversation, despite the fact that we hadn't actually seen each other in years and the fact that he had work in the morning. While the whole trip was a little mad and fun and I got to hang around in Paris instead of going to work on a Friday, it was the people that made it for me.

When we finally went to sleep, I told him to wake me when he was leaving for work so I could say goodbye and thank again but the sweet baby angel that he is, he left me to sleep on until friend number two arrived. Said friend number two then acted as my guide for the day, having lived in the city for several years now. We rounded the corner and breakfasted outside with pastries and coffee (well, tea for me) as French schoolchildren shouted what English they could think of at us. So began one of the few times I've had 8 or more hours of unadulterated catch-up time with a pal as an adult and it was beautiful. It always is. You get to topics normally never broached and ideas you've barely ever even voiced to yourself before. We talked and walked all day so that, by the end of it, we were both hoarse and almost hobbling but it was worth it.

After exploring for an hour, we headed to Colette. It was abuzz with people though it has only just opened for the day but I expected as much. This was always the case, even when it wasn't days from closing permanently. We dashed around and I picked up a limited edition tee and a Glossier Cloud Paint (in Haze) and a small present for my blog wife. We marvelled at the Saint Laurent roller-skate heels and the courtyard full of Christmas trees and the cool books and wildly expensive things that we couldn't even identify. I got my last picture in front, though the name had been removed from over the door so I had to pose with the word "Colette" painted low on the window, between my legs. That, in of itself, was gas though and we laughed as people looked on, confused. I have few photos of myself where I'm genuinely laughing that I don't hate and while this one is definitely goofy, I quite like it.

After visiting the store, we went to the Medieval quarter of the city, Le Marais, strolling past the Pompidou, and had falafel in the place across the road from the "best in the world", as it didn't have a line, is apparently just as good (my friend had tried both) and the people inside weren't being as damn pushy. Then we wandered some more shops and the area more before heading to the Louvre. I really wanted to go to the Dior exhibition there but there was a two hour line and we were running short on time so, instead, we just went to the gallery proper. I had never been before and was pretty excited but we were exhausted by this point and each kept whining about our feet being tired. Despite this, it was fun to wander around, discuss art (and my favourite debate topic of the moment: Can memes be art?), and see the Venus de Milo, Da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks" (my favourite) and Raphael's "Baldassare Castiglione" IRL.

Then, sadly, time had well and truly run away from us and it was time to say goodbye so I got some food, headed back to Beauvais (ugh), stocked up on some Champagne in duty-free (yay) and embarrassed myself by trying to use my very poor Korean to tell the girl queueing in front of me that her bag was super cute (double ugh) and began the long-ass trip home.

Over in the blink of an eye but well worth it! I said my goodbye to a beautiful store that I loved, sure, and that was the reason for the trip but I got a lot more from it. Fondest memories were made and I was the kind of spontaneous that I normally only see in the (far too many) movies I have watched growing up. Life can actually be quite grand and magical in its own little ways sometimes, as long as you embrace it and just say, "Fuck it. Why not?"

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