Gyeongju Getaway

With March first off, we decided to take a weekend trip to the east side of the country. Gyeongju is rightfully nicknamed "the museum without walls" and has countless sites to wonder at around town or further off in the mountains.

We arrived in the afternoon on Saturday and marveled at gigantic tumuli tombs jutting out of the otherwise flat landscape of the small town. Further along, we found ancient temples, ponds, observatories and more. Numerous sites dated back to 751, when the Silla dynasty reigned. Ancient objects such as crowns were excavated from the ponds and tombs to attest to the history. We enjoyed a luxurious meal of ssam bap for lunch with over 28 side dishes of vegetables, fish, and meat to wrap in a leaf of one's choosing. The town didn't exactly have a hopping nightlife, but we managed to find a London pub and some cards to pass the time.

Sunday morning, we were pleasantly surprised by sunshine and warming temperatures. Unfortunately, the city bus tour was full, so we had to navigate the local bus lines for our excursions. The first stop was Bulguksa temple which was created by Prime Minister Kim Dae-Seong to honor his parents of the current life. This world heritage site highlighted the skilled craftsmanship of the Silla period with each intricately carved pagoda, painted mural, and decorated roof. After a treacherous bus ride up the mountain we arrived at Seokguram Grotto; Kim Dae-Seong's temple for the parents of his former life of course. Atop of the spectacular mount and inside one of the modest temples was a brilliantly carved stone buddah for all to see.

The last big plan was to visit the sea on Monday, but the rain would have none of it. So we bidded Gyeongju farewell. While I wished it was cherry blossom season, I feel content with the amount of beauty we got to take in.