Korea's best Season: What to do in Fall.

My absolute favorite season in Korea is fall. Skies are bright blue. The weather is nice, and I can dress up nicely without having to worry about sweating of my make-up. Especially when I indulge in an activity that I thorougly enjoy, walking around and getting lost in wonderous new areas.

Seoul Grand Park

A perfect place to enjoy walking around in my favorite season is Seoul Grand Park, located a convenient subway ride away, just outside of the Seoul metropolitan area.

Bring your camera and go up Seoul Grand Park Forest park, which is a narrow path that takes visitors up and down the park's trails. The entrance point can be found behind the Forest Exhibition Center (to the right side of the main entrance of the Seoul Zoo in Seoul Grand Park), and another behind the Australian Pavilion.

Enjoy the changing of the color of the leaves, the fresh air, and the beautiful scenery in as little as 50 minutes or take the long route that takes 2,5 hours.

What is your favorite activity in Fall?

Love, Wietske

Flavours of Gyeonggi

One of the beautifull things about Korea is that every town has it's own special dish. Even when traveling just outside of Seoul you can try a huge variety of different flavors.  Today I want to introduce you to three special dishes of the Gyeonggi region.

 

Suwon Wanggalbi.

Suwon Wanggalbi got its name from the size. A single strip of galbi coul be as large as five meters. Therefore Suwon galbi became known as wanggalbi which translates into big-sized beef short ribs. You can enjoy this tender and delicious meat at [Gabojeong 가보정 | Suwon-si Paldal-gu Ingye-dong 958-1] which is only a short busride away from suwon station 수원역.  Get off at Seongbin center hospital 성빈센처병원, walk for about 400 meter and you are there!

Icheon Ssalbap-jeongsik

From ancient times Icheon rice is considered to be the best rice in korea. Therefore it is not suprising that Icheons most famous dish is a rice dish. It is so good that it was served to the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. Curious what Icheon Ssalbap Jeongsik is? It is rice served in a stone pot along with about 20 tasty side dishes. A treat for both the eyes and the taste buds. You can try this meal fit for a king at [Cheongmok Hanjeongsik (T. 031-634-5414)]. You can find this restaurant close to Semastation 세마역. Take the bus from there and guess of at 1danji semadong 1단지 세마동 station and you can enjoy this delicious meal.

 

 

 

Yangpeong Okcheon Naengmyeon

 
One of my favorite dishes during the hot summers days is naegmyeon (buckwheat noodles in a

chilled broth). It might be a bit strange at first but this tangy soup will cool you down for sure. Most of the famous restaurants serve pyeongyang-style naengmyeon which combines beef stock with chicken, phaesant or pork. Hwanghaedo-style Okcheon Naengmyeon doesn't only uses only pork to produce the stock, the dish also uses Okcheonsu (water of Okcheon) for the stock.  The water, reflecting the spirits of Yongmunsan Mountain, was known as precious water that helped treat  ilnesses of the kings  of Joseon Dynasty. Want to try this refreshing dish? [Okcheon Naengmyeon | Yangpyeong-gun Okcheon-myeon Okcheon-ri 760] Take the bus from Asin station 아신역 to Okcheonmyeon samuso 옥천면사무소 and walk another 600 meters to try these delightful flavors.

 

Which of these three dishes would you like to try?

 

Love, Wietske

 

*pictures taken from www.ggtour.or.kr

 

Jarasum International Jazz Festival

At the beginning of this month I posted the gyeonggi-do festival guide. Today I want to dive a little bit deeper into one of the mentioned festivals.

The beginning

On the otherwise quiet Jaru Island you can enjoy an amazing Jazz Festival every autumn. Jarasum International Jazz Festival began in 2004 with 30 teams of jazz artists from 12 countries. This exciting event attracts a diverse audience and provides spectators with many unforgettable memories.

International

According to their website the "international" in Jarasum International Jazz Festival is not just inviting foreign artists from other countries. Since it's excistence the festival has hosted 535 artists from 41 different countries. It also has a yearly national focus project, last year it was Norway, this year Germany. The yearly national focus project introduces a specific country to the audience by working together with countries embassies and cultural institutes. 

2015

The first line up for this years festival has already been announced and with names such as Juan Carmona, Igor Butman and Moscow Jazz Orchestra and many others it looks promising. So if you are into Jazz don't make any plans for october 9th until october 11th. (More artists will be anounced in August)

Tickets

Adult: 3-day Pass 90,000 Won. 2-day Pass 70,000 won 1-day Pass 45,000

On-Site Tickets: 50,000 Won

Youth: 1-day pass 30,000 Won

On-Site Tickets: 35,000 Won

*all tickets include one 5,000 Won Gapyeong Love Gift Certificate per each ticket. 

Booking period June 23th ~ October 6th 2015 (more details here)

Transportation

Bus: Take an intercity bus or ITX or subway to Gapyeong. It's a 10-minute walk from Gapyeong Intercity Bus Termnial or a 15-minute walk from Gapyeong station.

For more details on transportation and the festival check the official website here.

Anyone willing to go here with me? 

Love, Wietske

My dream holiday destination.

What if, right at this very moment, you would get the opportunity to go on a short trip. You don't know the details, not if you can go alone, with your adventurous friend or with your lover and you have to pick your destination right at this very moment. Where would you go?

 

I know the perfect spot, where no matter who I go with, or don't go with I know I will have a blast. It's a place called Nami Island.

Healing time

 

 

 Beautifull scenery, fresh air and only in close proximity of Seoul, Nami Island is the perfect spot for some healing time. Even alone it's great to just wander around and take it all in. Listen to some soothing music and take a deep breath and enjoy that clean air that only an island like this can bring.

A spot for lovers

 Even though it was broadcasted even more then 10 years ago, the korean drama Winter Sonata, still gives Nami Island romantic vibes. With cute photo ops, beautiful tree lined paths and secluded seating areas it is a must visit for every couple in love.

 

 

 

For the thrill seeker

More in for a thrill? Nami Island has something for you as well! Instead of taking the boat, why not zipline to the Island. You start from a tower 80 meters high and in one minute and 30 seconds you zoom down to the island. There are also various other water activities and even bungee jumping towers, everything to make you heart beat faster

Where

A great thing about this amazing holiday spot called Nami Island or 남이섬 in Korean is that it is located in beautiful Gyeonggi-do  incredibly close to Seoul.

You can take the subway Gyeongchun Line or ITX-Cheongchun to gapyeong Island from where you can take a bus to the Island. Or take the shuttle bus from Insa-dong or Namdaemun which is only 15,000 won for a round trip. Or get a package deal with entrance to the Island for 23,000 Won.

For more information check the website.

What is your dream holiday destination?

Love, Wietske


*photo credit* All pictures taken from http://en.ggtour.or.kr/

Feel #Gyeonggi: My Favorite Summer Activity

*edit* 2015-9-6  I have unfortunately been informed that Wolmi-Do is in fact nog in Gyeonggi. I am truely sorry for this mistake. However I still recommend you reading this article and going to Wolmi Island!

With only one more day of school, and 1 exam, left in this semester I have started making plans of what to do this summer. I want to explore many new places in Seoul and #Gyeonggi, however there is on thing on my to do list that I do almost every single summer when I am in Korea. And that is make yet another trip to Wolmi-Do.

 

Photo Credit: http://HappyDalki.blogspot.com

 

Wolmi-do is located roughly 1km off the coast of Incheon, right next to the sea which gives it a nice breeze, perfect for those hot summer days! And it is fairly easy to get to as well it is only 10 minutes by taxi or can take the subway and then get off at Incheon Station (Seoul Subway Line 1).When exiting the station, take local bus from either 2, 15, 23 or 45 bound to Wolmido and get off when Wolmido City Tour, Wolmi Culture Street, or Wolmi Final Bus Stops are announced. (source)

You might be wondering why I would 100% recommend you to go to Wolmi-do. First of all, it is the many great memories I have there. From celebrating my friends 30th birthday and eating aweful sweet potato cake (which my friend loved) too holding on for dear life in the disco ppang ppang while getting made fun of by the guy who runs it.

 

Secondly, I really enjoy the casual atmosphere. Because there is no entrance fee, you only need to pay for separate rides, there is no actually pressure to have fun. The low cost of hanging out at Wolmi-Do means there is also a great mix of people there.

 

There are parents with their little kids. Teens trying to off amongst their friends. Couples sharing cotton candy. Young adults, and older people watching their grand-childeren and living life vigorously trough them.  Honestly, one of my favorite things is to just sit down and watch these people living there life while enjoying the slight breeze.

 

Try running trough the fountains for a quick cooldown

 

However, if you are slightly more adventurous. There are many other ways to cool down - or work up a sweat - depending on what kind of person you are. My personal favorites are the viking or one of the two freefal rides. If you rather stay inside and not work on your tan, there are also a few arcades located on the premises.

 

If you are in Seoul this summer and are hot and bothered, I recommend you go check out Wolmi-Do! Gyoenggi's most underrated amusement park.

 

 

 

If you have been to Wolmi-Do before, let me know which ride you liked best! Or share your favorite summer activity.

 

Love, Wietske

 

p.s. Check out Gyeonngi's Facebook and Twitter.

 

p.p.s. I wrote this article as part of my application to become an #GGKoreasupporter; however I 100% mean everything I said in this article~