We took a trip to Korea with our daughter, Kate, who just returned from an 18-month mission to the country. Our last post described the amazing food; today will cover the amazing sights!
Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul
One of the biggest villages from antiquity left in Korea, with 900 dwellings, it dates back to the 14th century. After getting off the subway, we walked for several blocks and uphill a bit.
On the way, look for a shop to rent a Hanbok, a traditional gown. The shops have men’s outfits too. Kate said she felt like a princess in her pink gown and lavender jacket.
Progressing up the hill to the village, we met some volunteers at one corner that helped us find the well-hidden Hanok village. Once there, we saw some beautiful peaked roofs, ornate woodworking and gorgeous gates. Even though it rained while we wandered, we felt the atmosphere of the thousands-year-old cottages and windy, cobbled streets. If I had it to do over again, I would go with a Korean guide who is familiar with the Hanok village to point out the highlights. It took us a good 30 minutes to locate the oldest steps in the village, but we saw some lovely nooks along the way.
That night, we ate dinner inside Shinseagate, the largest department store in the country, housed in a grand old 1920’s building. Then we visited Namdaemun, the largest street market in Seoul, where we bought a newsie hat and a Korean-style baseball hat.
When we alighted from the subway near our hotel, Frank and Kate climbed the old city wall. I visited the silk market briefly, where I caressed some ice-blue silk but did not buy it. My feet hurt and I didn’t have Kate with me to haggle over the price.
Jinhae-gu, Korea
In Jinhae, we sought out the pink cherry blossoms. It’s quite charming to walk down the train tracks through what feels like a tunnel of pink and white blossoms! Lots of Koreans are posing, taking selfies, and wearing garlands of silk blossoms like little crowns: lovely. The second weekend of the yearly festival felt like a big party, with food tents and street performers juggling flames.
Our hike in the hills above Jinhae was even lovelier than the crowded festival. Just behind the Air Bnb apartment, a trail originated which climbed into the pretty less-traveled countryside of Jinhae. We caught our first glimpse of blossoms after several minutes. The big payoff waited farther up; a lane fringed by vibrant fuschia, petal pink and fluttery white blossoms. We drank it in for a few minutes as we studied the view. From that height, we surveyed the valley, port and glittering ocean in the background.
Tongyeong and Geoje, Korea
Later in our trip I realized that, to me, the most magnificent sights in Korea are those of natural beauty. Oedo island and the Haegeumgang rock islands are a 4-hour round-trip ferry from the shore of Geoje (pronounced Koh-jay). The magnificent rock cliffs and spires seem to erupt from the ocean. At one point, the captain brought our boat right up to the base of an island cliff. We pitched and rolled a bit, but were safe from the shoals.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at Oedo Island. The entire island is a manicured
