The cold snap we’ve been having for over a week seems to have abated a bit as of yesterday. Normally, I don’t get too excited about the holidays, but yesterday, the whole family went to the city to feel the Christmas spirit. My youngest daughter told me that she had no memory of Myeongdong Cathedral, so I decided to go there after a long time. Even though I’m not a Christian, I thought it would be meaningful to visit the cathedral on this day.

Not only the cathedral but also the town itself had been a long time, so I decided to eat kalguksu on the way out and walk around Cheonggyecheon afterwards. When I took the bus and got off in front of Seosomun, I thought there weren’t many people on the street because the cold hadn’t gone away yet, but I was wrong. As I walked towards Lotte Department Store, I was surrounded by people, but it wasn’t walking, it was just being pushed by people. Of course, Myeongdong is synonymous with downtown, but since it’s Christmas, I thought there might be more people here, but I didn’t expect this many people.

I wasn’t there at the time, but in many ways, it reminded me of Itaewon on Halloween Day last year and made me feel uncomfortable. First of all, I couldn’t walk at will. I couldn’t go where I wanted to go, and I couldn’t move with a group. Even if I tried to change direction or break away from the flow, it was not easy, and even if I managed to break away on my own, I was often separated from my family. The police were deployed and tried to maintain order, but even at first glance, I thought they were under-manned. If someone were to fall, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an accident at that moment.

The inside of the cathedral and the entrance were fine, but it was clear that this area would become more crowded as time went on, and since we were just looking around and not planning to stay long, we were again faced with the problem of navigating through this unpleasant crowd. My original plan for noodles was no longer possible. The police had blocked off the alley and wouldn’t let me in. I thought about turning around and going into another alley, but this made me even more anxious that I might get into an accident, so I decided to get out of Myeongdong. My daughters were all stunned and speechless.

I was relieved to see that the Cheonggyecheon side was at least walkable, but dinner was still a problem. By that time, there were lines at the entrances of almost every restaurant in Jongno. Even though the cold had receded, it was still too much for me, and I couldn’t wait for the line to clear, so I decided to leave there. In the meantime, I bought a chocolate bar at a convenience store to stave off my hunger, popped it in my mouth, and boarded the bus for home. There were a lot of people in the Gwanghwamun area where the bus stopped, and I wondered if all the people in Seoul had gathered here.

It’s not like there weren’t gatherings in the city during the holidays, but I don’t remember it being so crowded that it was hard to walk. I don’t know if it’s because I graduated from Myeongdong before it was overrun with foreign tourists, but this disorganized and crowded Myeongdong is so unfamiliar and scary to me. I rarely go out on the town like this anymore, but I don’t think I’d want to go there even if someone asked me to meet them.

And apparently, it’s best to stay home during the holidays than to be in a crowd. ⛪