Royal Gardens, Temples, and Kite Flying

This past weekend Sarah and I took part in a trip sponsored by the DMOE (Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education) to the incredibly beautiful Gyeonju province of South Korea.

A beautiful pond in Gyeonju near the site of the royal burial grounds

Gyeonju is approximately an hour drive from Daegu and is basically different in every way, shape, and form. It is a very wide open, nature-filled, tree covered, open fielded, temple laden town with access to deep woods, mountains, and beaches near the East Sea. There are very few buildings and life moves a lot slower than the metropolitan areas.

The trip was two full days with an overnight stay in a really nice hotel by the mountains. The DMOE had a full schedule prepared for us, and we were able to partake in so many different activities including kite flying, soap making, cloth rubbing, a concert of female musicians playing Beatles songs on traditional Korean instruments, a morning Taekkyon martial arts class, a tour of an opened above-ground royal tomb, several Buddhist temple tours, some delicious meals (including French toast for breakfast and the best bulgolgi I have eaten yet in South Korea), and a late night lantern walk through an ancient royal garden.

Ancient temple gazebos in the Royal Garden in Gyeonju

While all these activities were fun and culturally educational, the highlights for me were definitely the lantern walk in the royal garden, the Beatles songs on traditional Korean instruments, and flying kites on a beach by the East Sea.

Performance of Beatles songs using traditional Korean musical instruments

Both Sarah and I agreed that Gyeonju has been by far our favorite place to visit and explore so far here in Korea, and its beauty alone is worth the trip. We will definitely be going back sometime in the next few months.

Kite flying in Gyeonju

Word to the wise for all the EPIK folks who currently live or will be living in Daegu- take advantage of the trips that are put together by the DMOE. They are always well-organized, all expenses are paid, and the DMOE really works hard to make a memorable experience for its employees. They’re the best!

Sarah and I next to the pond at the Royal Garden