Each time we visit Seoul, we are struck by the number of grinning faces we are met with. Plenty of those are of the human variety, because Koreans are, after all, a very friendly people. But take the people out of the equation, and there’s still lots of grinning going on — on sculptures, paintings, signs, door…
When I think of a thimble, I imagine a metal cap that fits on my finger with indentations to help stabilize the needle I might be using. Not so the Korean thimble! Traditionally and even today, they are made of natural materials (often layers of stiffened paper) and then covered lovingly with brightly colored silk…
I love animals. Nearly all of them, with the exception of the annoying insects (mosquitos, flies, and gnats, I’m talking about you), rats and some snakes. I even like what’s been voted the world’s ugliest animal – the unfortunate blobfish. You can’t hate something that has to go through life looking like that. It wouldn’t be…
Walking around Seoul on our recent trip in May, I was struck by the way in which one bumps up against traditional images all around this very, very modern city. You don’t have to go into a museum or a handicraft shop to be reminded of the long cultural history of Korea. And the biggest…