Namsan Tower

This is one of the famous landmarks in Seoul. Built in 1969, (and recently renovated in 2005) it is the city's highest viewpoint at 236.7m on top of Namsan mountain--243m. There is a revolving restaurant at the top and the tower can be accessed either by cable car or climbing approximately 800 steps (are you surprised I counted?!)The lighting of the tower at night is particularly spectacular and changes according to season or event. I actually went to Namsan tower twice (both hazy days, unfortunately), once in the afternoon and then again in the evening trying to catch it at sunset and seeing the night view. Of course the evening I chose to go was the Saturday after Chuseok and a nearly full moon, and so we waited for a total of 1 and 1/2 hours to get in the elevator up.It seemed like everyone else in Seoul had the same idea to visit the tower that night. I went with Ruth (left) and Amy (middle). Even though it was crowded, we still had a fun and memorable time.
Below are some hazy views of the city. The first one is looking south at the Han river and the next two are looking north. The picture with the taller building in the middle is where I live--just behind the "Doosan tower", a skyrise that is home to Doota, one of the fashion shopping malls.

So, here you see the shining lights of Seoul. I think that the maximum number of stars I've seen here is 7! Sometimes I wonder if this city ever sleeps.

To the right here is a photo of the sink in the washrooms at the top of the tower. Notice how they are conveniently set up so as to have another view of the city. I tried to get the reflection of the city lights in the mirror, but I don't think I captured it as well as when you're there in person--sorry.