Living in the Fringe

Hi, my name is Chris and I am a theatre junkie.   No that word isn't misspelled - I love the theatre!   So much, that my internship in college was with a Shakespeare Festival!  I don't get to go as often as I like because, well, Ronnie has moved me all over the place and most of these places don't have multiple performance facilities. *sigh* 

So I take what I can get and enjoy every bit of it.  I'm blessed with two little girls who also seem to enjoy my indulgence in the performing arts.  Thus, you can imagine my exhiliration when they announced there was a Fringe Festival in Seoul! 

I scoured the Fringe website to find the free performances and music and scored a few late Saturday afternoon performances.  Yeah, I'm cheap and usually love seeing the paid events, but it was so the girls and I could wander in and out as we wished (and as their attention demanded).  Being that nothing started before 4:30, I had the rest of the day to fill with other fun things. 

We headed out Saturday morning and went to the Chosun gift shop.  If I haven't mentioned this place before, it is a gift shop on Yongsan that is run by their spouses group.  They bring in items from all over Asia, put them up for sale, and the profits go towards their scholarship program.  Yes, shopping for a good cause, plus you get all sorts of fun stuff.  They had just gotten a shipment in from the Philippines and Thailand.  I bought the girls their own Mud Ladies, some new chairs for our porch, and a few Christmas presents. 

The girls Mud Ladies.  Holly's is on the left, Sarahs' on the right

After shopping the Chosun, we decided to head to Hongdae and get aquainted with where the Fringe areas were.   Plus, I had a surprise up my sleeve for the girls - snacktime at the Hello Kitty Cafe.  You can imagine how they reacted when I told them where we were heading!  A quick drive (and nap for the girls) later, we arrived in Hongdae and found a parking spot relatively easily.  I had bookmarked the area on my iTouch so I would know where to head and didn't have to wander aimlessly if I didn't want to.  

They were so excited to get out of the car and find the cafe!  When we turned the corner into the alley where the cafe was, the girls screamed "There it is!!!!"   It is really cute and is decorated with Hello Kitty inside and out.  We ordered a chocolate shaved ice drink, pink lemonade, and some sweets and then settled into a cozy corner to enjoy them. 

After our snack, we wandered in and out of the shops in the area.  Hongdae is the college area of town, so there was lots of fun stuff to look at.  We eventually made our way over to the Fringe information area and confirmed performance times and directions.  We hung out and caught a few dance performances, some live music and a mime performance.  The girls really enjoyed the festival and were asking when can we go again.  Guess there are two more theatre junkies in the house!  

Holly by the Fringe booth; Sarah enjoying the interpretive dance.