Korea in Winter

A typical private educational institution (now a museum), in which representatives of the ruling elite of Joseon - the yangban - received a decent Confucian education in order to pass state exams in the future and enter the service.

The name, which includes the word "sowon", was given to this place in memory of the famous Prime Minister of Joseon, Ryu Seongnyeon, who moved to Andong in the 16th century. The official name "Pyeongsang Sowon" was established in 1614, the 6th year of the reign of King Gwanghaegun.

Hahoe - a village surrounded on three sides by the Naktong River, as if located in a loop of this river; from this geographical feature comes the name of the village - literally "fifth of the river".

Hahoe is famous for its old houses that have been preserved and are still used by the owners - both peasant and aristocratic houses; the famous dance with masks "Thalchhum", as well as the oldest surviving set of these same wooden masks for dancing. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain celebrated her birthday in the village.

A regular masked dance performance will be a nice live addition to the tour (the performance may not take place on a given day, depending on the season and day of the week).

On the way to the village of Hahoe, there is a small factory that produces traditional Korean hanji paper. The plant is open to the general public: you can walk through the workshops and get acquainted with the process of making paper, raw materials.

If you wish, you can even make yourself a souvenir - a sheet of paper - for a nominal fee (approx. US$5).

A picturesque 2-storey bridge over the sea in Busan is one of its most exquiste landmarks.

Most popular beach in Busan and a vivid resort district.

The largest seafood market in Korea, where you can see all kinds of marine creatures, both from the plant and animal worlds (and from the border worlds too!).

You can also eat deliciously at the market: fried or raw fish, as well as seafood, is served at the table in numerous restaurants in the market.

If you prefer something less exotic, we recommend the food court at the Lotte department store next door. The observation deck at the department store offers a magnificent view of Busan from a bird's eye view.

The name of the temple literally translates to "Dragon Palace Temple of the Country East of the Sea", 해동용궁사 海東龍宮寺.

The construction of the temple was completed in the 2nd year of Wu-wang's reign in 1376.

The temple was built by the sea thanks to the prophetic dream of the founder of the temple, the teacher [king - van] Hegyn. In a dream, a Dragon appeared to him (whose responsibility includes the seas and oceans) and "advised" to build a temple on the seashore, devote himself entirely to prayers - and then the great drought that Korea suffered from would pass ... Initially, the temple was called Pomunsa.

The current name of the temple was given in the 1970s. The abbot responsible for the restoration of the temple named it so after the Bodhisattva of Mercy appeared to him in a dream.

In Buyeo we will get acquainted with the treasures of Baekje, including those included in the register of the State Treasures of the Republic of Korea (Buyo National Museum), we will visit the place where the Buddhist temple of Jeongnimsa was located, with a unique 5-step pagoda.

In the city of Chungcheong, we will have a master class for making traditional cold buckwheat noodles "makguksu". They did what they ate! The noodles prepared by us will be our dinner. Delicious sauce of your choice (spicy and slightly spicy, or salty, based on soy sauce, attached).

Garden of Morning Calm was founded by Mr. Han Sangkyeon in 1996. This private garden is rightfully recognized as one of the most beautiful in South Korea. The name comes from the poetic name of Korea - "Land of the Morning Calm". The founder and his team tried to introduce the natural beauty of Korea, the oriental mystique and the spirit of the Korean people to visitors.

The design of the garden focuses on curved lines, space, balance and asymmetry, unique natural beauty, classic elegance and the uniqueness of Korea.

During each of the four seasons - winter, spring, summer, autumn - you will find in the garden echoes of a particular "theme" of that season...

The only burial of Pek rulers that has survived to this day.

We will get acquainted with the unique tomb of King Muryeong-wang (501-523), preserved intact to this day. Treasures from this tomb are now kept in the National Museum of Gongju City. We are waiting for a tour of the museum, as well as a walk through the picturesque fortress of Consancon.

The country's largest Joseon Royal Burial Park, Tongurung - literally "Nine Royal Burial Mounds East [of Seoul]" - is a vast area specially selected for the construction of royal burial mounds according to the principles of Pungsu (Fenshui). Through the mounds in this park you can get acquainted with the intriguing history of the Land of Morning Freshness - Joseon, because kings such as the founder of the dynasty - Taejo; Seonjo - it was under him that the country experienced the largest invasion of Japan; Yeongjo is a long-liver among the kings of the dynasty, and others.

In the park you can meet wild roe deer - there are a lot of them here, but they are cautious, so not everyone has such luck...

Cheomseongdae is one of the oldest observatories in the world (7th century). The tower of the observatory is full of symbolism: the total number of hewn stones from which it is built; the number of rows of these stones before and above the small window, the shape of the stones... Reasonable Silakians paid attention to everything.

Cheomseongdae was built under the reigning Queen Seondok - one of three in the history of Silla. The queen ended up in a drama that, of course, was filmed in Gyeongju.

The Buddha statue in this small temple in an artificial grotto is considered the most elegant in All of Korea! The grotto is located on the slope of Mount Tkhohamsan, where the winding serpentine of the mountain road leads.

The walk to the temple through the mountain forest from the parking lot takes about 15-20 minutes; depending on the weather, either a mysterious foggy landscape awaits us (fogs are not uncommon on this mountain), or breathtaking bird's-eye views of the thousand-year-old Gyeongju.

In the grotto, which is formally the hermitage of the Bulguksa temple, located below the slope, the dominant position is occupied by the above-mentioned statue of Buddha, sitting in a lotus position on a pedestal in the shape of a lotus. Around it at different heights are bas-reliefs and statues of bodhisattvas, arhats, Indra and Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings.

If the group agrees, we can go down the mountainside to the temple of Bulguksa.

The main Buddhist temple of United Silla, it is now a place of pilgrimage for many guests of Korea.

The temple was built in 774 under the leadership of the premier of the state of Silla, Kim Taesong. Legend has it that Bulguksa was dedicated to the parents of the current, so to speak, Kim Taesong. While Seokguram, the temple-hermitage under Bulguksa, was intended for Kim Taesung's parents from his previous incarnations.

In 1995, Bulguksa and Seokguram were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The main state Gyeongju temple from the Silla period, the "Temple of the Yellow Dragon", Hwanyeongsa, has not survived; however, we still have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the pagoda of a hermitage temple of Hwanyeongsa. The hermitage temple is called Punghwansa.

The peculiarity of the pagoda of Punghwansa is that it is built of stones, hewn in such a way that they resemble bricks in shape. What can you not do if you are not familiar with the technology (brick production, in this case)!

The only mound which inner parts are open to the public (though filled with replicas, it shows the inner construction of a Shilla mound)

Though made anew, it is a nice and quite picturesque place, especially at night.

A picturesque Buddhist temple situated a short distance from Seoul. Originally built by National Preceptor Beobin in 969, it was rebuilt many times since.

Chogyesa Temple is located in the heart of the capital of South Korea - Seoul. Despite the small area, the temple is the central administrative temple of the largest school of Buddhism in Korea with the same name - "chogye".

Gyeongbokgung Palace became the first residence of Korea's new Joseon Dynasty in 1395.

During the war with Japan (1592-1598) the palace was almost completely destroyed; however, it was restored in the middle of the 19th century and again became the residence of the Korean kings.

The palace is the architectural center of the northern part of the city of Seoul and impresses both with its size and extraordinary symmetry.

You will not only be able to capture yourself against the background of classical palace architecture, but also hear an entertaining story from our guide about the history, palace culture, the customs of the royal family, the symbolic meaning of the material attributes of the palace.

In the heart of Seoul, you can find an amazing architectural marvel — the Seoul Anglican Cathedral. Its history is both astonishing and fascinating.

So, in the early 1920s, when the skies were bluer than the dream of a weary builder, the Right Reverend Mark N. Trollope, the third Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea, envisioned the construction of a cathedral. Funding for this idea came from the sacrificial offerings of the faithful Korean church members. These courageous Koreans were so devout that they could challenge the gravitational pull of any planet.

The British architect Arthur Dixon designed the cathedral. On May 2, 1926, the consecration ceremony took place, and everything was ready to begin construction. However, at that time, Japan ruled Korea, and it turned out that completing the project in its original cruciform shape was more difficult than explaining the meaning of life to the entire universe.

Since the cathedral was built during the Japanese colonial rule in Korea, it was impossible to finish the church according to the original design of the cruciform building. Therefore, the transepts on either side and the nave were shortened, and the building remained mostly unfinished.

The Cosmic Miracle of 1993

However, as they say, nothing is lost in the galaxy, especially if it involves architects' blueprints. In 1993, as if by the will of fate itself, the original plans were discovered in a library in England.

And so, in 1996, after long and convoluted years, the cathedral was finally completed according to the original plans. Now it stood as it should have from the very beginning — magnificent, splendid, and ready to welcome all visitors, whether earthlings or alien tourists.

Insadong is famous for the abundance of souvenir shops, traditional restaurants and tea houses, boutiques.

Insadong-kil Pedestrian Street is the central street of the area.

Often you can see street performances - traditional Korean samul-nori percussion quartet or martial arts tekkyon, taekwon-do or performances of youth groups in the fusion style, etc.

One of the central streets of Seoul, Jongno (literally "Bell Avenue") is named after the pavilion of the same name, which houses the main bell of the country. It is this bell that the best people of the country beat on New Year's Eve.

However, even mere mortals can hit it for good luck: at 12:00 noon, the pavilion is usually opened for visitors. However, a limited number of guests are allowed.

Shopping area, cafes, restaurants. The central Catholic Cathedral of Korea is also situated here.

A great opportunity to get acquainted with the history of the introduction of Christianity into Korea!

Symbiosis of urban landscape architecture and nature - the Cheonggyecheon River; everything is artificial in it: the bed of the river, the banks, the water itself ...

In fact, it was a real, natural river; but after the Korean War, it was "hidden" underground. As a result of the grandiose Cheonggyecheon restoration project in 2005, the river was reopened to visitors and residents of Seoul.

The complex of the central Gwanghwamun Square in front of the Gyeongbokgung Royal Palace, which is the compositional center of the capital of Korea, offers amazing views of Seoul: on one side is the main residence of the kings of the Joseon state (now a museum). But along the  Sejong-daero Avenue, departing from the square, there are high-rise modern buildings: government, embassies, Kyobo - the largest bookstore in Korea. Further down the avenue we can see the Seoul City Hall and still further - the Great South Gate of Namdaemun (National Treasure No. 1).

The unique architectural structure was opened to the general public (and city officials, of course) in 2013.

Its uniqueness lies in environmentally friendly, unusual and unexpected solutions: a double facade of an unusual shape, reminiscent of a sea wave, covering, by the way, the former Seoul City Hall; choice of heating sources; way of preserving the old city hall, Guinness record for the world's largest vertical green façade (internal).

To the northeast of Gyeongbokgung Palace lies the scenic hilly area of ​​Samcheon-dong. Due to the fact that the residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan was located north of Gyeongbokgung (and west of Samcheon-dong), development activity in Samcheon-dong is very limited. Thus, despite the unique location in the center of the capital of Korea, there are no high-rise buildings in this area, and the cost of land is relatively low. This feature gives the area a unique charm: art galleries have chosen it; cafes and restaurants; flea markets and boutiques of stylized Korean clothes; here you will see a large number of preserved Korean-style houses - hanok.

The name of the district comes from the name of the government office of the Kingdom of Joseon, Samcheon-jeong (also known as Seogyeok-jeon); Samcheon-jeong's activities included performing Taoist sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and Stars. Literally, the name translates as "Districts / quarter of three purity": "Clean (light) mountains and clean water lead to greater purity and kindness of the human soul."

There is a gondola in the park, which we will use to get almost to the top of one of the peaks of Seoraksan, on which the ruins of the ancient Kwonggeum Fortress (lit., "Kwon Geum Fortress") are located. We get to the peak on foot - it's about 20-30 minutes. From this peak, a magnificent panorama of the East Sea, the resort town of Sokcho and the mountain range of the park opens.

Not far from the lower gondola station is Sineungsa Temple (originally built in the 6th century, but later rebuilt many times). The temple complex includes a statue of the Buddha of Unification (Thonil Buddha), the name of which reflects the desire of Koreans to unite the country.

A picturesque route leads us to Hyndyl Pawi ("swinging rock"). A huge rock will sway at the touch of one person.

Optional, if everybody is in: hiking to the top of Mount Ulsan Pawi; you will have to strain a little - the height of the rock is 873 m.

During such serious campaigns of the ruling king, as, say, visiting the graves of his ancestors, the king had to stop somewhere on the way. In the Hwaseong fortress, such a travel palace has been preserved. Charming and small by the standards of Seoul, however, it is a real intricate maze, which we will dive into to get to know the history of King Jeongjo, his parents and grandfather, as well as the famous banquet he hosted in honor of the anniversary of his mother , Queen Hongyeong.

Hwasong Fortress was first built in 1794-1796. This is the first Korean fortress designed and constucted using European technology. The king Jeongjo planned to move the capital of Korea here once, but due to his early death his dream did not fulfill.

The first and largest Korean folk village in terms of area and exposition.

There are more than 260 buildings in the village, including houses of representatives of different classes, government agencies, pharmacies and mills, and craftsmen's workshops.

The village recreates in detail the atmosphere of rural life of the Joseon era. Buildings were brought from all regions of Korea: here you will also find houses made of volcanic tuff from about. Jeju (and the famous black pigs from there, by the way!), And thatched houses from the southern provinces of Korea, and the house of the provincial governor, and the Confucian village school. You can taste traditional Korean dishes at the village market.

The journey begins with a fascinating walk through the narrow streets surrounded by traditional Korean houses - hanoks. Each house is a living museum that reflects the unique style and architecture of ancient times.

Travelers hungry for knowledge can discover the craftsmanship of folk artisans.

But that's not all! This wonderful complex offers unique shows and concerts featuring traditional Korean dances, music and rituals.

Each show and concert is organized with love for details and leaves a unique impression. You will be delighted with beautiful costumes, incendiary rhythms and incredible talents of artists. The atmosphere will be filled with energy and delight, and you will find yourself a real witness to the beauty and splendor of Korean culture.