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South Korea is pretty famous for its café culture, and recently flower cafés have been growing in popularity here in Seoul. A few days ago, a friend tagged me in a photo of a pretty café on Facebook, saying that “we have to go!” So with the 6th of June being a national holiday for Memorial Day, we made plans to visit Arriate flower café in Gangnam-gu.

Arriate flower café 아리아떼

Arriate is a beautiful little independent flower café in the Yeoksam neighbourhood of Seoul, just one station along from Gangnam. It rained all day, but Arriate was a lovely shelter from the bad weather. We arrived, marvelled at the décor, and then I swiftly ordered a drink and piece of cake.

Arriate flower café 아리아떼

I chose the mango mojito to drink, and the tiramisu cake to munch on. Not an ideal combination, but both were lovely by themselves, and not completely ruinous – they came to around 13,000W together ($11.50/£9). The mango mojito was fruity and lightly flavoured, but not too sweet, and the tiramisu cake was a good portion – not overwelming – and also light, but just rich enough that you wanted more!

The main attraction of the place is, of course, the décor, and did it ever live up to our expectations. The whole shop is adorned with dried flowers and living plants, from ceiling to floor. Even the drinks come with their own tiny vase with a freshly cut flower alongside on the tray for decoration. The atmosphere is comfortable, relaxed, and peaceful. It wasn’t busy; I’m not sure how long Arriate has been around, so it has either lived past its big hype moment, or still has it to come. Either way, I’m pleased we found it when we did.

Located a 5-minute walk, tops, straight up the hill from Yeoksan station exit 7 on Line 2 (the green line), Arriate is super easy to find and comfortably situated. It’s perfect for spending a couple of hours inside on a rainy day. I will definitely be back!

Arriate flower cafeé in Yeoksam-dong, near Gangnam, Seoul, is a dried flower (and Instagram) dream. South Korea is pretty famous for its café culture, and recently flower cafés have been growing in popularity here in Seoul.


Kakao Friends’ Ryan: South Korea is Obsessed…and I Am Too!

Meet Ryan, the burly, broad, mane-less lion that South Korea, and the rest of the Kakao world, have fallen in love with, and I have too!

Kakao Friends, Ryan, KakaoTalk
Moving abroad changes people in interesting ways. The way you greet people in shops, the way you act around your friends, the way you eat, what you eat, when you eat; your lifestyle changes. Your interests and tastes also change. You start to like things that you wouldn’t ordinarily take an interest in. And oh boy, has this ever happened to me! Before I moved to Korea I wasn’t really into the…

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Expat Guilt: Living With Constant

Expat Guilt: Living With Constant

It’s a beautiful Sunday here in Seoul. People are out and about with their friends and families, but I’m not. I’m sat in a café near my apartment. I’ve been here for three hours, and I’ll probably spend the rest of the afternoon here too. I need to recharge after a busy couple of weeks and waking up sick this morning, but I can’t help but be plagued a little by a feeling of guilt. I feel guilty…

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Last week, on the 3rd of May, was a national holiday for Buddha’s birthday. Known as Seokgatansinil 석가 탄신일 or Bucheonim Osinal 부처님 오신 날 (the day that Buddha came) in Korean, it’s a big deal here in Korea where Buddhism is the largest religious group. Celebrations normally last around a week, and begin before the big day, including the Lotus Lantern Festival held in Seoul, and other events across the country. The entire centre of Seoul was decked out in lanterns for the week before Buddha’s birthday, and the weekend prior to the 3rd saw a large lantern parade weave through the city centre and end up at Jogyesa Temple.

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa 조계사 is the centre of Korean Buddhism. It is the head temple for the district, and in fact the entire country, for the Jogye order of Buddism. Because of this, Jogyesa (with ‘Jogye’조계 being the order of Buddhism and ‘sa’ 사 meaning ‘temple’) plays a central role in the celebrations for Buddha’s birthday. On the 3rd of May they saw a LOT of visitors, both for prayer and tourism, and when I arrived they were packing down from a large event of prayer and celebration.

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa was decked out in lanterns for Buddha’s birthday!

Because I’m a bad tourist, I didn’t make it in time for the event itself, but I was pleased to arrive to all the lanterns intact and on display. They were just starting to dismantle the bright, colourful canopies of lights as I was walking around, so I had made it just in time! There were a wide array of lanterns to see, and I even got to see some of the creations that had been shown in the Yeondeunghoe parade the Saturday earlier.

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

These are just a few of the many photos I took while I was there. I’m sure you can imagine, I was very snap happy. And, really, who wouldn’t be with a place this photogenic?!

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

Jogyesa

You can read more about Jogyesa Temple on the official Korea tourism website.

The 3rd of May 2017 was Buddha’s birthday here in Korea, and Jogyesa temple was decked out in lanterns for the occasion! Last week, on the 3rd of May, was a national holiday for Buddha’s birthday. Known as…


The end of April marked two months since I moved to Seoul. It also marked the start of some intense English food cravings. All I wanted to do for an entire weekend was stuff my face full of fish and chips, full English breakfast, and an Indian takeaway. As well as English food, I wanted some decent Western food in general, particularly a good burger and fries. So when I mentioned this to my friend the other day, she suggested we go for to a place called Fingertips in the Seongsu neighbourhood of Seoul, a small but popular burger restaurant.

Fingertips burger restaurant

My friend and I had arranged to meet at 5:10 to be there early for their evening sitting opening time of 5:30. Unfortunately, their opening on this day was pushed back to 6:00, but our early arrival time proved useful – a large crowd of people formed in wait, but we were first on the list. We were ushered inside and got to choose a table ourselves after being handed an all-Korean menu. But no fear, my non-Korean-speaking companions; my friend asked for an English menu and one was brought out straight away.

Fingertips burger restaurant

Looking at the menu, there was a varied but concise selection of burgers – to my amusement, all named after the five different fingers on your hand – with the choice to add toppings to any of the set variations. Fries come in a variety of flavours, ranging from the standard plain to sesame or garlic toppings. Also on offer are burger and soup sets, a salad, and an intriguing side dish named “Fried Cheese meatball in Hell”. The beer selection was quite impressive and included different Asian beers as well as American and European, as well as a few pale ales. There were also the standard soft drinks, plus some ‘ades’, milkshakes and coffees, if beer isn’t your thing.

Fingertips burger restaurant

I ordered the ‘Thumb’ burger; a 100% beef burger sitting on the restaurant’s own ‘finger sauce’, red onion, tomato, grilled onion and mushroom, and topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, salsa, sour cream, bacon and a fried egg.

Oh. My. Word.

When I said that I wanted a burger, I wasn’t talking about your bog standard fast food offerings. No, I wanted what I call a ‘fancy burger’, i.e. one with many toppings and that will probably fall apart in your hands because the meat is so juicy and the bun is so soft. With the Thumb burger, that’s exactly what I got. The meat was perfectly cooked, the brioche bun was soft and not overwhelming (an issue I often find with burgers) and the toppings were simply a dream. My beautiful fresh grapefruit ade sat forgotten for quite some time, as did the accompanying plain fries that I had opted for. The burger was exquisite, and I’m already trying to decide how soon is too soon to go back and try another one.

One of the few, admittedly minor, complaints I have is that the portion of fries is quite small and looks a little bit sad on the plate. They were great fries – skin-on and soft and crispy in all the right ways – so I would have liked a few more. As well as this, the serve-yourself sauce bottles were in significant need of changing for new ones as many of them were practically empty. Also, my friend, who is Korean, said that the staff were a little bit rude to her – something I can’t verify, but that I trust her on. But rude or not, the service was very quick and efficient, we waited only a short amount of time for our food, and the atmosphere was comfortable and laid-back with some good English music being played for background noise.

Fingertips burger restaurant

Fingertips has been around for about three years, grinds all their own meat every day for the patties, and bakes their rolls fresh each morning. Set in the back streets of Seongsu-dong, it’s a burger haven and hidden gem. Only in a location sense however, as proven by the long queue of people that formed before doors had opened. At Fingertips, I ate arguably one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, and couldn’t recommend it more. It’s a little tricky to find, but it’s definitely worth it.

Ever had your mind blown by a burger? I have, at Fingertips 핑거팁스, a small but popular burger restaurant in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The end of April marked two months since I moved to Seoul. It also marked the start of some intense English food cravings.


At the start of May every year, the centre of Seoul lights up with beautiful paper lanterns. Yeondeunghoe 연등회, the Lotus Lantern Festival, showcases a huge range of traditional Korean paper lotus lanterns though a variety of events spread out across several days. Happily, I managed to catch a couple of them this past weekend!

Yeondeunghoe is actually part of the celebrations for Buddha’s birthday, which is officially the 3rd of May here in Korea. It originated over 1200 years ago during the Silla period and is a tradition that has been upheld until today. The official tourism website for Korea says that by lighting lanterns at the festival “people can brighten their hearts and the world.”

The events on offer include a Buddhist cheer rally, cultural performances and traditional activities. Sadly, (down to poor planning on my part) I didn’t get to experience everything, but I did catch the famous lantern parade and the exhibition on the Cheonggyecheon!

Yeondeunghoe’s famous Lotus Lantern Parade

I actually just happened across the lantern parade by chance. Some friends and I were walking down from Anguk station to the Cheonggyecheon when we had to cross Jong-ro, coincidentally where the parade was passing. We could see it down the road but it was still a little while away, so we went to get some food and then returned when it was in full swing.

Luckily, we saw the part of the parade comprising the Jogyesa temple community. The Jogyesa temple is the headquarters of the Jogye division of Buddhism in Korea, and where all the main celebrations for Buddha’s birthday are taking place. It was a sight to behold! Hundreds and hundreds of handmade lanterns in all shapes and colours were carried by people young and old, and huge lanterns in the shapes of Buddha, animals, the sun and more were pushed along by volunteers.

Some of my favourite lanterns included these hangeul 한글 (the Korean alphabet) lanterns, which came in a wave of colours – first yellow, then to orange, red, pink, and all the way through the rainbow to green.

Laterns on the Cheonggyecheon

We didn’t stay until the end of the parade, only waited until the Jogyesa section had finished and headed over to the Cheonggyecheon stream 청계천 to see the exhibiton of the lanterns on the water. Being a Saturday night and the main day of the festival, it was of course very busy, however this didn’t detract from the experience!

The atmosphere of the place was great. Families, couples and groups of friends were all out together to see the lanterns. Many walked the banks of the stream to take everything in. Others preferred to sit on the steps down to the water and share food or drinks. There were strings of lanterns overhead, and when you reach a certain part you could see the large lanterns displayed on platforms above the water.

My favourites here were the fish, and the birds under the wave (at least I think that’s what it was?). I also liked the woman, who I’m sure has a deeper meaning but there were no plaques to explain the pieces so I can’t be certain.

The festival runs every April/May, and there is a lot to do! The celebrations end on Buddha’s birthday, and are fun for everyone to enjoy. You can read more about the festival and the events on offer on the official Korea tourism website.

Last weekend, Seoul hosted its annual Lotus Lantern Festival as part of Buddha’s birthday celebrations! See the activities I caught as part of Yeondeunghoe 2017. At the start of May every year, the centre of Seoul lights up with beautiful paper lanterns.


Cheongsam 長衫: All About the Chinese Traditional Dress

Cheongsam are a traditional Chinese dress with a long, complex history. I wore one at Chinese New Year and loved it!

brunei, chinese new year, buddhism, cheongsam, qipao
During Chinese New Year in Brunei, I wore a cheongsam, a traditional Chinese dress. Having already written about the hanbok from Korea and the salwar kameez from South-Central Asia, I wanted to write about this iconic, beautiful dress with a long, long history! Cheongsam (from Cantonese), also known as qipao (pronounced chee-pow, from Mandarin), has existed for hundreds of years since the Qing…

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It’s been two months since I’ve moved to Seoul! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t! It’s gone so quickly, too quickly almost! I’ve gotten up to a lot this month, unsurprisingly, and I’m going to do a bit of a roundup of everything I’ve done during my time in Seoul so far.

ESL teaching

My new job as an ESL teacher!

March brought me many changes, but the biggest was my job. I started working as an English teacher for the first time! I teach kindergarten and elementary age children, my youngest being 4 and my oldest being 12. It’s frustrating, stressful, and extremely challenging, but it can actually be a lot of fun and the kids make me laugh. It’s changed my current attitude towards children, something I mentioned in this post about the things I learned in my first month in Seoul.

How much can I eat?!

If you don’t know by now that I love my food, I doubt you’ll ever know. (Kidding, of course – food posts are unavoidable on this blog!). March brought a plethora of flavours and textures to my palate, and stuffed my belly full of delicious, glorious, mouth-watering food. Some of my favourites have been galbi barbecue at Daeseong Galbi in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, and the most amazing cheese donkkaseu at Mama Tonkatsu in Jeongja-dong, Bundang-gu.

Hannah International

I’ve become a serial palace visitor.

How many times can a girl visit the same palace in a month, you ask? Well, I managed it twice, a pretty low number, but for someone who has just moved here I ask myself why do I return to the same places and not find somewhere new. BECAUSE IT’S BEAUTIFUL, that’s why! Gyeongbokgung, the most famous of the five main palaces in Seoul, is stunning, and the perfect spot to go for a walk on a sunny March Sunday. I even rented a hanbok and took some snaps of me in the traditional clothing!

Old friends and old haunts!

In the last two months I’ve seen more old friends than I could shake a stick at. Well, maybe not quite that many, but I’ve certainly had my fair share of reunions in the past eight weeks. Korean, French, Canadian; you name the nationality, I’ve met them again after four years! And the best part about it (besides seeing my friends, of course) has been going back to some of our old stomping grounds from when I came to Seoul for a university summer school in 2013.

안녕, civilisation!

Before I moved here I knew that I wouldn’t have internet access in my apartment. It wasn’t part of my working contract, so I knew I would have to find it myself. What I didn’t realise was that I would need my Alien Registration Card to set up any sort of phone or internet contract, and I didn’t get that card until the 6th of April. On the 19th of April I walked out of the local Olleh (a major mobile and internet service provider here in Korea) store with a WiFi egg and the feeling of finally being part of civilisation again! 100% #FirstWorldProblems, I know.

But my limited internet access wasn’t an entirely negative thing. I learned that I don’t need WiFi access everywhere I go to survive, and it also forced me to go into the shop and try to speak some Korean (admittedly only a tiny amount, before the man helping me got his phone out to use a translator). I was terrified, but I plucked up the courage and now I have a Korean phone number AND internet access. (We shan’t talk about how I ate through my entire allowance in just over a week…)

Gwangjang Market

You want food? You’ve got it!

I went to 광장시장 Gwangjang Market for the first time! If you don’t know about it, Gwangjang Market is a famous food market filled with sit-down food stands selling authentic, traditional Korean food. You can get everything from dumpling soup to rice and vegetable bowls, as well as your lesser-popular blood sausage and fermented stingray… Sadly, I made the rookie mistake of eating earlier in the day which meant I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I could have, so next time I go back I will go on an empty stomach. I’ll also go armed with my camera and write a post about it, because it’s too good to miss on a visit here!

Spring is here, but the blossoms didn’t hang around.

Japan is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms, but people seem to forget about Korea! There were some stunning sights to be seen around Seoul during the admittedly short blossom season, but I made sure not to miss them…just about! I made my way over to Yeouido, a large island in the middle of the Han River, one Saturday evening and took a stroll along the north-western path to admire the blooms – a perfect way to spend a Spring evening in the city!

Perhaps I can teach after all?

I was observed in class for the first time towards the end of April and, let me tell you, it was a nerve-wracking experience! Though, apparently there was nothing wrong with my teaching and the issues were all with the students. I breathed a humungous sigh of relief when I heard this, especially considering I have had no training whatsoever. I’m finally starting to feel like I’m not too bad at this teaching malarkey and I’m even beginning to love the kids, but that’s a whole other blog post waiting to happen!

Seoul lit up with beautiful lotus lanterns.

On the last weekend of May I hopped over to Jongno and the Cheonggyecheon to see Yeondeunghoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival, in full swing. It’s an early start to Buddha’s birthday celebrations here in Seoul, and it was a sight to see! I managed to catch some of the famous parade comprising a collection of large and small lanterns carried by people from various temples and other communities, including a huge crowd of people from the Jogyesa Temple, where the parade finishes. After the parade, I went for a walk down the Cheonggyecheon, a stream running through part of Seoul, where there were lanterns strung overhead, and larger lanterns displayed on plinths above the water. It was a sight to behold, and such a fab atmosphere!

All in all, I’ve been a pretty busy gal since moving here! This list is, of course, not exhaustive – I have been on several nights out, been for karaoke a few times, made some wonderful new friends and spent an afternoon relaxing in the park by the river. I’ve registered as an alien, finally purchased some furniture for my apartment, and opened a bank account!

Quite frankly, it’s no surprise that time has passed so quickly. I’ve barely given myself time to breathe! But life here in Seoul is exciting and is only getting better, so I can’t complain too much now, can I?

This is an entry in The Seoul Diaries! Read more about my life in Seoul here.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye! I’ve been up to so much in the last couple of months that time has run away with me. Take a look to see what I’ve been up to since moving to Seoul. It’s been two months since I’ve moved to Seoul! Can you believe it? I certainly can’t! It’s gone so quickly, 


Kampong Ayer: Brunei’s Answer to Venice?

It was once named the “Venice of the East”, but what is Kampong Ayer really like? I visited Brunei’s famous water villages back in January and this is what I saw.

Back in the 1500s, Kampong Ayer was once described as being the “Venice of the East”. A collection of water villages built on stilts above the Brunei River, Kampong Ayer is one of the principal tourist attractions of Brunei. For many people, it is a world away from how we live our lives – on solid ground – and so visitors make the short boat trip around the village all the time. During my trip to…

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The Coolest Thing About my Seoul Apartment

Maybe I’m too easily amused, but I thought this was the coolest and most clever thing about my new flat!

Have you ever bought something and when you’ve taken it out at home you’ve discovered something really cool about it that you didn’t notice before? Isn’t it the best feeling? Well imagine that, but it being about your house! It’s exactly what happened to me when I moved into my Seoul apartment. When I arrived at my little studio flat around a month and a half ago I was pretty happy with what I’d…

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