Saturday, May 19, 2012

Tombs, Lakes, and Trees... Oh my!!

Today was a momentous day in that it was our first day in Korea without having a concert. Needless to say, we were all EXHAUSTED by the time that we'd finished being out and about all day (so I hope you won't mind if I keep this relatively short, and catch up on the finer details later!) We drove an hour away from our hotel, and visited some interesting Historical sites in Gyeongju. We first stopped at a burial mounds site.  The Korean royalty used to be buried in tombs inside large dirt mounds -the bigger the mound, the bigger the person was to society. The mounds and scenery there were beautiful, although it would have been really nice if it had been just a bit sunnier. After there, the bus drove us a grand total of 4 blocks until we got to our lunch destination.  I may have mentioned this before, but I would like to reiterate that our choir is pretty sick of Korean food. Many of us were once again not very excited about the 12 or so side dishes plus two or three main dishes that had already filled the table by the time that we got there. I believe I heard at least 10 people from the choir say "I just want a cheeseburger" at some point during the day.

After lunch, we went to the Wolseong Fortress (which we at least walked across the street to.) This is really the site of the fortress with a few foundation stones still remaining, and a beautiful forest.  We climbed up to where he fortress stood, and then down and around a koy pond. We crossed the street again, a little further down, and came to the Donggung and Wolji palaces.  These buildings have been replicated on a smaller scale and stand overlooking a beautiful duck lake. The buildings themselves looked very similar to the Korean architecture from other sites that we have visited, but there were artifacts and models of the original structures inside of them.  The buildings did not take long to view, but there was a beautiful path that led around the lake so that we could enjoy the scenery and wildlife that was playing in the water and in the shadows of tree branches.

Following this, we drove another 4 blocks or so to get to a Korean History museum. The museum had many buildings, including an exhibit of Chinese treasures, and many gold ornaments that decorated royalty in their burial garments.  There were statues and pillars, and lots of children running around yelling "Hello, America!" I believe the word that we've chosen to describe how we feel about this is "exotic." Not quite celebrity status, but just a little more than special.

After the museum, we headed back to Taegu, where we spent time at a huge outdoor shopping district. This time was mostly spent enjoying a non-Korean meal, and time away from our large group. The evening, and whole day really, were very relaxing and well needed. Tomorrow we are going to hit a Forest park of some sort and then travel to our BEACH HOTEL!!!! However, most of the day will be spent on the bus traveling from one place to another.

Alex Heatland was Dumb Quack recipient today for "being attacked by a tree." Well... really, he ran into a tree and dramatically fell to the ground a la Disney Princess. Bravo, Alex. Bravo.




Many of us are starting to miss home and the people that we left back in the States. For all of the families and friends who are reading: We all miss you terribly, and while we are having a blast in Korea, we are looking forward to returning in a little over a week... Begin preparations for many all American meals. Much love.

No comments:

Post a Comment