Gwacheon Science Museum

Here's another Throwback Thursday post for you - a family trip to the Gwacheon Science Museum! It was a holiday weekend and we were looking for somewhere new to explore.  In looking online at the area by the Zoo, I noticed the museum listed and upon further investigation found it had dinosaurs and dancing robots - sold!

As we entered the building, we already knew this would be a cool space just by the art hanging from the ceiling in the entryway:

Without wasting much time, other than to stash our stuff in a lobby locker, we headed towards the Dinosaur Exhibit. We explored fossils of all shapes and sizes, comparing our feet to theirs.

And then were surprised when an animatronic T-Rex made an abrupt appearance!

That freaked out the little guy just a little bit.  

That, and how large the leg bones were.

All the favorites were there - Triceratops, Stegasaurus, Pteranadon...

Michael was one happy kiddo.

They even had some Mammoths.

Okay, I was a happy girl, as well.

Next were the live exhibits - fish, small mammals, insects, reptiles, etc.

Some pretty gross looking sea cucumbers...which we've seen in eatery fish tanks for sale...

The museum had a pretty extensive technology section - with this sub, car, and interactive video screens, where you control the image on the screen.

Around lunch time we got hungry, so we visited the museum's food court and tried Burger Hunter's menu.

The write-up on the burger wrappers was an interesting read:

Chipmunk cheeks - full of grapes, not hamburgers.

Next up was the Korean artifact section - this display was showing signal lights on the ramparts:

A nice dragon-shaped measuring device.

An example of traditional hanok building.

And we did find some robots in the next section - Wall-E and Eve!

As well as the robots that dance to a few songs, including the ever popular "Gangnam Style" by Psy.

We ended with a trip to the Children's section (yes, there was one among all of this other awesomeness!) and Michael bravely traversed the suspended net tunnels along the ceiling (with Rob in close, but not happy, pursuit)!

Outside there is an entire section of dinosaur statues, rocket ships, and other displays, which we did not even get to see on this very full day - so we'll be going back relatively soon!  I did snap a picture of this snazzy bell, though!

How to get there?

Address:  110, Sanghabeol-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
경기 과천시 상하벌로 110

By Subway:  Line 4, Seoul Grand Park Station, Exit 5

Transformers Week!

Sing it with me:  "Transformers...more than meets the eye. Transformers...robots in disguise!"

Ah, fond memories of Saturday morning cartoons and robots that actually looked like they could easily transform into a vehicle or dinosaur. (What is up with the newest generation of Transformers in Age of Extinction? Come on, Michael Bay!!)

We recently had a little Transformers fun around the Bruns household - totally because we have a kid - yeah, that's the only reason why.  ;)

First, there was the costume contest and event, sponsored by the USO at Yongsan. My ears perked up when I heard the words "contest" and "prizes". And it helped that Michael had just watched an Autobots cartoon from the library.  Which robot did he pick to dress as? Optimus Prime, of course - so I went old school with the cardboard and a hat from the thrift store. Even had to trek around the corner to the nearest Alpha store for spray paint on this one.

After a quick 2-day build, here's the end result:

They had a nice event for the kids - complete with a giant Optimus, which Michael proceeded to fist bump.

The end result?  Tied for 1st Place!! Mainly, I think, because Mommy and Daddy were REALLY LOUD during the applause portion of the voting process ('cause there were some pretty awesome costumes made by - and I'm just guessing here - some pretty ambitious parents.)

Here's a quick video clip of the festivities, care of AFN Yongsan's reporting.  

Michael is visible at :34 and :39.

Later that week, my friend Jason offered up two tickets to the 30th Anniversary Transformers Exhibit at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza - heck, yes!  Off we went on the subway for some more robot fun.

They had great examples of old and new robot designs, artwork, and giant sculptures.

 

This was his favorite robot model - can you guess why?

There were also coloring stations (for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee), a toy building area, and movies playing.

And Michael was given one of these to take home!

So much fun - thanks again, Jason!

"My dear love, Chunhyang" - an afternoon at the Ballet

I've gotten to see some great performances while here in Korea, but I recently had the opportunity to see a ballet and it was one of the BEST events so far!

"My dear love, Chunhyang" is a popular Korean tale about a young official named Mongyong who meets and falls in love with Chunhyang, thanks in part to the matchmaking antics of their respective servants. He is called away for government testing and the lovers must part. While he is away, the local governor demands Chunhyang's servitude, but she refuses and is imprisoned.  Eventually Mongyong returns to free Chunhyang from prison, and they are married.

There was a large company of dancers for this production, and I believe a number of them were students, since this was held at a ballet academy (there were some very young looking dancers at times).  The level of skill and the beauty of the performance were top-notch, however, and I truly enjoyed the entire work.

Did I mention that some friends and I were in the front row? And that it was a small, intimate theater? I felt as though a few of the ballerinas were going to jump in my lap a few times, but it was a very nice perspective to see all of the dancing from.

Unlike a typical ballet that may come to mind, such as "Nutcracker" or "Swan Lake", "My dear love, Chunhyang" had some decidedly Korean elements, one of which was the use of pansori.

"Pansori (판소리) is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer. The music is usually performed by one sorikkun (소리꾼, a singer) and one gosu (a drummer playing a barrel drum called a buk, 북). " (Wikipedia)

Here's a short video clip, courtesy of a fellow supporter (Jason Chun), of one of the pansori sets: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn75hUq8UL0

The costumes were wonderful - very colorful, with marks of Korean influence, and suited to the fluid dancing.  Some dancers had hand banners, and at another point there was a traditional fan dance incorporated into the ballet.

The two lead dancers were outstanding - both in technique and acting ability. I could have watched them dance together all night.

The performance was thoroughly enjoyable, from start to finish, and just when I thought the afternoon's performance was done...

...what started playing over the sound system?  Psy's "Gangnam Style", of course.

And who had the great fortune (misfortune?) of being in the front row and getting pulled up to dance with them?  Why, this gal! Oh, my...

Thanks to my "friend" Alex for this incriminating evidence.  :)

I highly recommend attending a performance at the Seongam Arts Center, on the 3rd floor, if you have the chance.  You won't regret it!

Website:  http://www.saart.co.kr
Phone: 02-543-0826
Directions:

It is not a large theater building - look for the "Ballet Academy" sign above the entrance:

Yongsan Family Park

Michael and I decided to get out and enjoy a green space recently - so we headed to the Yongsan Family Park. 
It's right next to the National Museum of Korea on the south end of the base, and is a very popular spot for families to visit.  Historically, the land has been used my various countries as a base of operations during war, and it was actually used by the US military as a golf course before Seoul transformed it into a park in the 90s.

There are fun things to see along the walking paths and Michael thoroughly enjoyed this "bare foot" path of varying stone textures and obstacles.

 

We kept shoes on, but it was still fun to traverse, especially when we went under the squash tunnel.




We passed by a group of school kids having fun in a field.  On first look, I thought they were having a water balloon fight, but then I realized, no, they were simply pelting each other with the balls you'd find in a typical ball pit...yes, they were throwing them at each other, and so were the teachers! Can't imagine that going over too well in the states, where Dodge Ball is often a no-no.

There is a playground and some exercise equipment (because there is ALWAYS exercise equipment in Korea), as well as a mini stage and pavilion.

Michael very seriously serenaded everyone with his version of Ernie and Elmo's "One Fine Face."

As would be expected, there are large, oversized pieces of artwork - two that we found interesting:

The highlight for us was standing on the bridge over the large pond in the park and realizing there were some pretty persistent fish down below.  Michael may have accidentally shared a goldfish cracker or two...

 

And I loved the lily pads just floating along...

For those in Seoul who'd like a nice place to enjoy nature:

Address: 60, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul-si   
서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 60 (용산동6가)
There is a small parking lot - 1,800 won/hour

Subway: Line 4, Ichon Station, Exit 2 - walk straight, going past the National Museum, and the park will be on your left.