my trip to Korea, part 1.

I am back home, and flipping through the hundreds of pictures I took on my vacation. I had a great time and reconnected with my family/relatives- it was relaxing, comforting, and I absolutely loved my time in Korea. 

Although it was a short trip, we traveled across the country in trains, buses, and taxi's as if it were a trip to some touristy destination. Korea is absolutely beautiful- there's always mountains in the distance, and the weather is mild and varied (we get four seasons!). There's a lot of fun things to look at, such as a store specialized in selling phone cases or the mix of traditional & the new, such as an old Buddhist temple next to a modernized restaurant on the hill.

In Daegu:

Susung-mo: there is a shaded walk around this giant lake, ducks, storks, people-watching...We strolled this lake with my grandma and spent almost an hour watching a duck with four little ducklings.

My grandma's house: this place has always been a constant in my life, and my grandma has an amazingly green thumb. We get persimmons in the fall and flowers when my birthday is just around the corner.

Itaewon: a neighborhood in Seoul known for having lots of foreigners.

We visited Leeum, which had this gorgeous white marble staircase, and the exhibits were arranged leisurely and spaciously. We especially enjoyed the traditional Korean exhibits such as the white and blue porcelain vases.

We grabbed lunch in the neighborhood at a famous restaurant- the entire gang- where we spotted the celebrity. After stuffing ourselves with amazing boodae-jiggae, we still got gelato, red bean ice cream, and fruity drinks at Passion5, a giant black building devoted to everything sweet.

We even visited a WOW-temple (exactly how it's prononuced) in Yong-in. Isn't this impressive?

 

A collection of a thousand mini-Buddha sculptures

And the pictures continue.