Windy, Winter Wonderland

The four of us took a day out of the city today, on an excursion that we booked through Viator which encompassed two very picturesque spots, Seoraksan and Nami Island and we were thrilled to get out of the city and into nature for the day.

It started with us taking a subway trip from Dongmyo to Dongdaemun Design Plaza, which required us to have a transfer from Line 1 to Line 4 at Dongdaemun...but seriously I don't know why we bothered because we probably did as much walking underground as we would have done above ground from the station to where we were meeting our tour guide.

As usual we were there way too early, but thankfully the weather was not as cold as yesterday and with coffee to warm us up from one of the many coffee shops in the area we sat and watched Dongdaemun come alive and I am looking forward to exploring this area in the next couple of days.

Connecting with our guide was a simple task and we were pleased to be on a small bus with only eleven other people so when we were wandering around together we didn't feel like we were in the midst of huge crowds.

South Korea is a land of tunnels, as more than 70% of the country is covered in mountains and they would rather go through them than around them which makes for a lot more pleasant journey (if you get travel sickness on windy roads) and leaves you with visual surprises every time you leave a tunnel.

The trip to Seoraskan took two and a half hour bus trip with a small stop for a toilet break and coffee and our first taste of ice and snow (only a snippet but at least the girls could say they had seen snow and put their feet in it)

Seoraksan is the third highest mountain in Korea and one of the most popular spots at it has some great hikes, a cable car to get you to the top of one of the peaks if you don't like hiking too much and a temple

to visit. Unfortunately the winds were dangerous and we were unable to get on the cable car to go up to the peak so I have to put Seoraksan back on my to-do list just for that cable car ride and I know that the views would have been spectacular.

We took a ten minute walk to Sinheungsa temple and on the way we passed a bronze Buddha that stands nearly 15m high called the Tongil Daebul, means 'Unification Buddha',

and it was built to symbolise the Korean people's hope for the reunification of North and South Korea. It is a beautiful structure with panels inscribed with the path of Buddha's enlightenment through the words of the Bodhisattva, messengers of Buddha's teaching.

Sinheungsa Temple was built in the early to mid 600s in the reign of Queen Jindeok(dates are uncertain) and has been burnt down and rebuilt twice and is believed to be the oldest Zen temple in the world. It is a pretty temple and is available for temple stays which would be magnificent to see a sunset and sunrise in this spot

.

We then split up, Linda, Jenna and Sarah taking a hike to one of the waterfalls but I decided to walk along the river instead and found out from the three of them that I had probably made a better choice as they never made it to the waterfall.

It was stunning, despite the wind and if I get the chance to come back I would like to stay longer and explore more (and hopefully get the chance to ride the cable car for even more amazing views).

We then headed to Nami Island which was formed as a result of the construction of Cheongpyeong Dam. It is a half moon-shaped isle, an hour out of Seoul that is a favourite spot for romantic dates or day trips with the family. It also has historical value as it supposedly houses the grave of General Nami, who was victorious in a battle against rebels in the reign of one of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejo (reign 1455-1468) but later died due to accusations of treason.

Before we headed to the island we stopped for food,

at a restaurant recommended by the tour guide, which serves food that the region is known for Chuncheong Dakgalbi, a stir-fried marinated chicken dish in chilli pepper paste with vegetables (cabbage, sweet potato, onion, scallion etc) and rice cakes, we also had Pork Dakgalbi and both dishes were wonderful and like nearly every meal we have eaten in South Korea reasonably cheap (although one of the most expensive meals we have eated) at W9500 ($11Aus)

There are two ways to get to the island by boat or zip-line, and although the zip-line option sounded like fun the winds were against us again so of course we took the short boat ride across to the island. The funny thing is that you have to 'go through customs' as in 2006 Namiseon declared it's cultural independence from South Korea renaming itself the Naminara Republic and in 2010 it was deemed to be a UNICEF Child Friendly Park.

The island is very pretty with many different tree lined lanes to wander through, Korean Pines, Metasequoia, Gingko and Cherry trees and I think I would like to visit again in either autumn with the the fall colours or spring with the blossoms. There are cafes and souvenir shops to fulfill shopping or nutritional needs, there are lots of places to explore and sculptures to be found (including one made famous from one of the most famous Korean

dramas from the early 2000s "Winter Sonata" and another that raises eyebrows which is supposed to represent the great rivers that flow through Korea and bring sustenance to the land.f you want to stay on the island to enjoy the quiet before the day trippers come and after they leave there is one hotel to stay on the island, the Namimara Hotel. (I suggest if you want to stay on the island that you book well ahead of time because this is the only place to stay and rooms book up very quickly.)

There had been a light fall of snow the day before and there was a scattering of snow still around so for both Jenna and Sarah who haven't been in snow before it was extra special.

They had a small area with a tobaggon ride and Jenna was the only one of us without injuries that was willing to ride down the snowy slope (her hip might not have been so happy with her choices she made however after she landed heavily after hurtling down the slope.)

We had a lovely afternoon wandering around the island and I can understand why there are lots of visitors who come to visit the island.

We finished off our day at Nami Island with a sweet potato latte to ward off the chill before heading back to Seoul and after a wander around the outside of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza which is an amazing piece of architecture that was completed in 2011.

It is the home to five halls: Art Hall, Museum, Design Lab, Design Market, and Dongdaemun History and Culture Park and covers 7 stories, however we only walked around it and didn't actually set foot inside it. I doubt I will get the opportunity to explore inside in the next couple of days but it gives me a perfect excuse to come back because it looks fascinating and probably would take a good portion of a day to discover everything it has to offer.

We made our way back to the hotel past part of the Seoul Fortress Wall and Dongdaemun Gate

that still stands today and I know that as cities grow you lose some of those historical sites because of the need for expansion but it is nice to see that a small bit still remains.

Late night snacks of kimbap and noodles in front of more Korean dramas ended another wonderful day in South Korea and I am already feeling a little sad that my time here is nearly over.

#sOutHkoRea #sEouL #mTseOraKsaN #nAmiIslAnd #tOdoLisT