Spring has finally arrived in Korea! It was late this year, and apparently this winter was harsher than is normal for Daegu. Even though winters in Wisconsin and Minnesota are much colder and snowier, I do a lot more walking in Daegu, the hallways at school aren't heated, and I paid through the nose to heat a shack that the wind literally whistles through. Needless to say, the current weather is very welcome!
As far as I can tell, spring in Korea is famous for two things: yellow dust storms and flower festivals. I didn't really get the dust storms - other people complained about them for a week or so, but I think during the worst one I was indoors for the night and completely unaware of it. As for the flower festivals, I visited two: plum blossoms and cherry blossoms.
First came the plum blossoms. On March 21st my friends Jeannine and Diana and coteacher Bosun joined another Eagle Tour bus trip. We headed south and west to a province called Jeollanam-do and started the day in the city of Gwangyang.
So there was a lot of confusion (for me at least) about what this festival was actually about. The trip was advertised as a tour to see the Maehwa, or apricot flower, Festival. Gwangyang is famous for this festival and there is even a Maeshil Maeul, or apricot fruit village. However, several websites (including the Eagle Tour page for this trip) mentioned apricot blossoms and plum blossoms in the same breath. And when we got to Gwangyang, it was obvious that we were looking at plum blossoms - there were pictures of plums everywhere, plum juice and liquor were for sale, and I ate plum-flavored ice cream, for crying out loud. So what was the deal? It was only after I got home that I learned that, not only are plums and apricots the same species of plant, but the flowers we saw in Gwangyang are commonly called winter plums, Chinese plums, Japanese apricots, or Japanese plums. Take your pick.
Anyway, the blossoms were beautiful, and because it was a Korean festival there were lots of snacks – that plum ice cream was delicious. I really like the plum flavor – it’s popular here in things like candy, juice, and tea. It was also a popular subject of traditional paintings in several Asian cultures. Because it blooms in winter, it is a symbol of that season and represents perseverance and resilience.
After checking out the festival we headed to Odong-do, or Odong Island. It's only about 800 meters off shore, so Bosun, Jeannine, Diana and I actually walked out to it on a causeway. Even though it's a tiny little place we couldn't see much because we had barely any time there – just enough to eat lunch and stretch our legs for a bit. We’ll have to go back and explore in the summer. There was a big tourist map with some beautiful ‘Engrish’, pointing out Odong-do’s must-see sights, among which are the 'Photo Zon', 'A cool wind', and 'The rocks on the seashore.'
Anyway, the blossoms were beautiful, and because it was a Korean festival there were lots of snacks – that plum ice cream was delicious. I really like the plum flavor – it’s popular here in things like candy, juice, and tea. It was also a popular subject of traditional paintings in several Asian cultures. Because it blooms in winter, it is a symbol of that season and represents perseverance and resilience.
After checking out the festival we headed to Odong-do, or Odong Island. It's only about 800 meters off shore, so Bosun, Jeannine, Diana and I actually walked out to it on a causeway. Even though it's a tiny little place we couldn't see much because we had barely any time there – just enough to eat lunch and stretch our legs for a bit. We’ll have to go back and explore in the summer. There was a big tourist map with some beautiful ‘Engrish’, pointing out Odong-do’s must-see sights, among which are the 'Photo Zon', 'A cool wind', and 'The rocks on the seashore.'
Our last stop for the day was the Suncheon Bay Ecological Park. It's a protected wetland with an eco museum. The wetland was really beautiful and wild, especially when we were there; it was so cold and windy, and nothing was growing yet, that it felt pretty desolate. There are lots of reeds, raised paths and walkways, and several species of protected birds. I really liked it, but Bosun and I were too cold and tired to do much walking, so if I’m ever in that part of Korea again I’m definitely going back.
On April 4th Bosun and I joined Eagle Tour once again. This time we headed to the city of Jinhae, in the south-easternmost part of Korea, for their famous Cherry Blossom Festival. It was a bit disappointing because, due to the late arrival of spring, the blossoms weren’t quite in full bloom yet. They were definitely beautiful, just not at their peak. But never fear – the trip wasn’t a total waste. Like any good Korean festival, there was a street market with a maze of food stalls, and Bosun and I kept our spirits up by steadily eating our way through the streets of Jinhae (it was even better than at the Gwangyang festival. Bosun ate larvae!). It was a nice relaxing day – for once we didn’t have to get on the bus at the crack of dawn, we could walk around all day at our leisure, eating and taking pictures, and we were home nice and early.
Daegu isn’t particularly famous for any blossoms, but I visited a little park near downtown this weekend and got some nice pictures of the cherry trees there. They were a lot fuller than the ones we saw in Jinhae.
On April 4th Bosun and I joined Eagle Tour once again. This time we headed to the city of Jinhae, in the south-easternmost part of Korea, for their famous Cherry Blossom Festival. It was a bit disappointing because, due to the late arrival of spring, the blossoms weren’t quite in full bloom yet. They were definitely beautiful, just not at their peak. But never fear – the trip wasn’t a total waste. Like any good Korean festival, there was a street market with a maze of food stalls, and Bosun and I kept our spirits up by steadily eating our way through the streets of Jinhae (it was even better than at the Gwangyang festival. Bosun ate larvae!). It was a nice relaxing day – for once we didn’t have to get on the bus at the crack of dawn, we could walk around all day at our leisure, eating and taking pictures, and we were home nice and early.
Daegu isn’t particularly famous for any blossoms, but I visited a little park near downtown this weekend and got some nice pictures of the cherry trees there. They were a lot fuller than the ones we saw in Jinhae.
You can see the rest of my pictures from Gwangyang, Jinhae, and Daegu here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kristin.laufenberg/SpringInKorea?feat=directlink
Sorry they’re not captioned, but they go Gwangyang – Jinhae – Daegu.
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