A Giant Duck and Lotte Adventure

Last week we finally headed out to Seokchon Park, just a short walk from Jamsil Station on Seoul Subway's Line 2, to see the giant Rubber Duck. Since rubber ducks and I have a history (both from college and teaching in Groton, NY), this was a MUST see! 

Here he is in all his yellow, quacking glory:

And my attempt at a photo with the ever-popular selfie stick!

There was a pop-up shop nearby, so I of course had to get some magnets and stickers...I showed some restraint and didn't buy shirts and other goodies.  ;)

Across the street, the new Lotte Mall had opened up, so we went to explore and found a huge display of inflatable characters.

Pororo and Penny, form one of the Korean cartoons that Michael enjoys.

They also had smaller statues to pose with - these were two of our favorites.

Next we ventured inside to have lunch at the brand new Hard Rock Seoul. 

They had some great memorabilia, the staff all spoke excellent English (which honestly threw me for a second - I wasn't sure how to respond!)

And we had an awesome view from our table:

We ordered some tasty appetizers for our meal.

And practiced our solfege in Korean:

                                 Do        Reh        Mi         Pa          Sol         La         Shi           Do

 We could also see Lotte World, an amusement park, from our perch, 

but that is a trip for another day.

We ventured out into the mall, which they have decorated with some interesting items...

...and eventually made our way to the new Lotte World Aquarium.

We saw a number of interesting critters, much to Michael's delight - he still loves all things oceanic.

After seeing these Axolotl, that's all he could talk about - and wanted one as a pet...

We caught the divers in the huge tank having some fun with the fish:

And explored some more:

Lobster Fight!

The real draw were the Belgua Whales, which have sparked some controversy in Seoul - some people are boycotting the aquarium due to their inclusion. When we first found them, we were a bit concerned by the size of the tank they were in, but soon realized that they were in a temporary part while their tank was being cleaned.

Suffice it to say, this was Michael's favorite part!  :)