We were staying in Hongdae, the nightlife and student area that is out-of-bounds to US personnel. The young and cool crowd pack into the hundreds of restaurants, from Korean barbecue to New York burger joints, until late into the night. The bars and nightclubs are always heaving and the streets teem with students browsing the chic boutiques and bands who set up meters away from each other and vie for attention from passing crowds.

The streets pulsate with a young energy, and it doesn't take long to find what's fueling the buzz - coffee.

Roasted coffee, hand-drip coffee, espresso made by hip baristas with the utmost seriousness. You drink it, Seoul's got it. Don't expect to be able to order breakfast or lunch in these cafes either - they take their coffee far too seriously to bother with food. The coffee is good, although the American influence is evident. Served in giant oversized mugs, it can seem a little weak if your taste for the dark stuff runs a little more European. You will also be asked if you would like your drink served hot or cold, and if you want sugar you best request it.

After the morning caffeine fix, we headed out to Bukhansan Mountain. Catching the Seoul subway to Gireum Station (take Exit 3) and catching bus No 110B to the entry to the park, which is located not far from the city center.

We bought gimbap rolls, a Korean snack similar to nori rolls but with processed meat in place of fish, from a street vendor just outside the gate of the park. Entering Bukhansan the sounds of the city fell away. The climb to the peak was at times steep and more challenging than we anticipated but the air was fresh and the silence calming after the hustle of the city. We stopped to eat at a rest spot by a brook where Korean hikers, all kitted out in visually abrasive neon hiking gear, had also stopped and rolled out their picnic mats.