 |
| one of my fave wall paintings |
it started from an episode of 2D1N, where members went in search of the elusive paintings on walls in the seemingly confusing town of hyehwa.i didnt catch that episode, but my friends have, and it became sort of an adventure and challenge to locate it. every time one came back, victorious with pics, i'll ask, "so how do you get there?", they'll always smile a mysterious smile, and go "oh, i duno. you just walk and walk around, until you find it".
right.
so, one day i decided to go in search myself. and true enough, it's not easy. but the whole experience was great, precisely because it was a challenge. i'm not sure if you prefer to be adventurous, because if so, you can skip this page right now. just in case someone's tight for time, but would hope to catch hyehwa during their short trip, here's how you can find the paintings:
1. get off at hyehwa station and after exiting, you'll see the seoul national university hospital and school of medicine opposite you, i.e. you're standing right in front of the theaters.
2. walk just a couple of steps, and you'll find yourself in front of a huge park:
 |
| park at hyehwa station |
3. walk into the park, where back-alleys of tiny cafes and restaurants can be found.
4. if you start seeing the following, you're on the right track:
 |
| back-alley cafe |
|
 |
| sculpture outside a theater |
|
5. from here, it's an uphill walk till you reach a forked path. walk down the right path and soon, you'll find the sculptures, indicating you've finally arrived!
 |
| put your hands up! |
 |
| robot in the bushes |
|
 |
| beetlebug letterboxes |
|
 |
| sunflowers on the stairs |
|
hyehwa is known for its theaters, thriving art community and young vibrant atmosphere, and it's why i like coming here. not only are you awed by the beautiful wall art, you'd also find yourself immersed in the mystic feel of roadside tarot-reading booths, the myeongdong-esque night market just down the road (walk in the opposite direction of the park, after exiting the station), and the friendly shopkeepers (one gave me a discount on the umbrella, even before i asked, thinking i was a student!)
 |
| vibrant retro-looking building |
|
 |
| nature painting on a wall |
|
 |
| popular WGM show was filmed here! |
|
 |
| cute restaurant! |
|
so anyway, take your time to explore hyehwa. it's slightly off-beat, slightly different; but it'd bring lots of good surprises :)
p.s. you can read more of hyehwa experience
here!
