We did not partake of a traditional tea ceremony. It may have been on offer, I am not sure. What we did do was enjoy the ambience and partake of some delightful tea with little rice cakes. Prior to arriving, we walked up from the subway through a park between the high rise buildings:
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| City park |
Korea does not appear to have a rubbish removal system. Certainly, the recycling bins are cleared, although no one seems to know quite how. Every morning the bins, of which there are very few in the streets, are cleared and prepared with a neat bin liner. What does happen is that people wander the cities with little carts and collect up garbage that can be recycled like tins, paper, cardboard, etc. These can be handed into recycling centres, and people are paid for the recycling they have collected. Above is such a lady. Note in the above two pictures that the garden is very structured. Note also that all the walls are at seating height. Someone somewhere thought quite carefully about this.
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| Another mural |
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Here is the entrance to the building. The signage is fairly typical:
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| Second Floor |
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| This needs explanation? |
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| The Tea House |
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| Glass inlay in the floor |
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| The mantel piece |
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| The mantel piece |
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| The tea with rice cakes |
And what tea it was! It is known as daedu cha. The tea itself is soupy with subtle spices. In it are pieces of jujube berry which has renowned healing properties, and pine kernels which are slightly soggy from floating in the tea. Definitely recommended.
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