Day 9: The Seoul International Fireworks Festival

Today was another free day - thankfully so, as many of us enjoyed the pub crawl a bit more than we probably should have. While some of us (including yours truly) took this time to rest a bit more, others went to explore some places that were recommended to us by ASML employees.

One group went to the N Seoul Tower, which is the second-highest tower of Seoul. After climbing the mountain, which turned out to be a heftier climb than expected, they could buy tickets to a lift to the top of the tower. From there, they could enjoy the beautiful (or so I assume) view of Seoul. Another group visited the Namdaemun market, featuring many kinds of local dishes (which did not make for a great brunch), but also smoothies and other local delicacies, like an interesting combination of a donut and an “oliebol”.

After this, the journey to the Yeouido park had begun. Taking the metro there went surprisingly smoothly, apart from the metro station closest to the park being closed and the massive crowd making their way to the park. All the safety measures were very impressive - there was more crowd control than I could count. A couple of people already found a spot in the park, where we could settle down, get some food from the many food trucks, and wait for the big event.

And a big event it was! The fireworks were beautiful, featuring flares the like we’ve never seen before, and bangs loud enough we could feel them from miles away.