Seoul, we meet again!
Taken on our very first day and shortly after our arrival from the US. We decided to explore Gimpo Airport since it was here where we were supposed to fly out the following day to go to Jeju Island.
I was truly happy to return to Seoul. It had been over 20 years since our second visit. I realized that even though we took lots of pictures during our stay then, it really felt like it was our first time last spring 2026. There were new attractions we had not seen before. Unlike years ago when we stayed in faraway Gangnam, we chose to stay in Myeongdong this time. Little did we know that this area of Seoul was indeed the best place to be since it was literally walking distance to many sights of the city.
On our very first day in Korea, we stayed close to Gimpo Airport. We stayed at the Mercure Hotel. I remember it being just a station or two away. We planned it that way since we didn't want to have a long metro journey with two big suitcases in tow when we went to Gimpo for our flight to Jeju on Asiana Airlines. It worked out just fine. While we were planning our trip, we thought of heading straight away to Jeju as soon as we arrived in Incheon. We changed our minds though after we experienced a very long delay in San Francisco while waiting to board our flight to Tokyo the month before. We figured a similar delay would make us miss our domestic flight in Korea.
The National Aviation Museum of Korea was a few yards away from Gimpo. We just walked to go there.
This was an impressive view of a fuselage showing the passenger seats on the top floor while the suitcases were neatly stored right down below.
A wall full of airline memorabilia
Some uniforms used by different Korean Airlines not just Korean Air.
What would an aviation museum be without model airplanes?
Here I am on board a Koren Air! Honestly, it would be nice to fly Korean Air someday. I heard many good things about this airline. We have flown Asiana though many times.
An airport scene inside the museum.
Where else?
Standing next to the statues of the Korean pioneering aviation heroes on the grounds of the museum
These were the statues of the so called pioneering aviation heroes, specifically the leaders, instructors, and trainees of the historic Willows Aviation School established by Korean independence activists in California in 1920.
A partial view of the Mercure Hotel we stayed at in Seoul for our first day in Korea. It was the Mercure Ambassador Seoul Magok. We had a very nice room here. I remember the comforter feeling so soft and light yet it kept me warm throughout the night.
This was one art piece that stood right in front of the hotel. This Mercure was truly exceptional except for its location. While it was just a couple of stops away from Gimpo, it was really far from downtown Seoul. There were lots of restaurants and shops in the vicinity. We actually went to a KFC for breakfast on our very first morning there. Mind you, the food we got was chicken but cooked and served Korean style. It fact, the chicken pieces were served over rice and topped with some sweet and sour sauce. It was very good.