Seoul Tower & Cheonggyecheon Stream Lantern Festival 2012

Here are my fab pictures of Seoul Tower & Cheonggyecheon Stream lantern festival which I visited in November 2012. This was a great day and a worthwhile experience and I would certainly recommend any tourist or traveler in Korea to visit.

I was fortuitous that when I visited Seoul Tower the lantern Festival was occurring at the same time of the year, however in you visit earlier in the year I would still visit the peaceful tranquil Cheonggyecheon Stream.  

This was one for my favourite days in Korea when I visited Seoul Tower and then the Cheonggyecheon stream lantern festival. The only problem is it rained very heavy for the whole 8 hours but that did not stop a prefect day.I went on the train to Seoul and  gained accessed to the tower thought the cable car.

Waiting for the cable car 

I assumed this was optional but you have to get in the cable car to get up the mountain to see the tower. Like me if you are scared of heights don't worry, It provides a great view of Seoul and only lasts for moments. It was worth it the views were breathtaking and I really enjoyed myself despite the rain.

A view from the cable car 

A view of Seoul from Namsan Mountain

Seoul Tower opened to the public in 1980 and has since become a major tourist attraction. The 237 meter  Seoul Tower sits atop Namsan Mountain (243 meters) and  Seoul Tower offers panoramic views of Seoul and the surrounding areas.

After the Seoul tower I visited to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, this is a stream that runs through the heart of Seoul. Today the stream has been transformed into a haven of natural beauty amidst the bustle of city life of Seoul. It is a place were people go to relax and to get away from city life.

The stream has beautiful serene with small waterfalls, and nearly two dozen overhead bridges. and is 5 meters below sea level so you can't hear the traffic of the busy Seoul Center.

During my visit they had the lantern festival on the stream so the stream was lit up with lanterns in the water. There was apparently 10,000 lanterns from more than 20 countries worldwide emitting light along the wonderful stream. The lanterns are are symbol of 'hope and friendship'.

There were four areas each with they own theme. These consisted of lanterns from around the world portraying peace and harmony, a traditional Korean section with lanterns illustrating Korean culture, A section based upon famous symbols of Seoul and a area representing the future based on IT, technology and design.