Gyeongju is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North
Gyeongsang province in South Korea. It is the second
largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 511 sq miles with a population of
264,091 people. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek
range—are scattered around the city.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls."
Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksatemple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongju)
If you are curious for more information, I found another good site that has more of the history:
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=255885
We set out from Pohang on bus, and ended up hiring a taxi for the entire day to drive us everywhere. It was the cheapest and most convenient option, and worked quite well. The trip to Gyeongju took about an hour and a half. It was rainy for a few hours, but that did not make it an unpleasant trip. It only added to the beautiful mountainside scenes that we drove up and down.
The first place we went to was Bulguksa temple complex. I love the architecture--very intricate. We could not go inside any of the temples because they are special sites for Buddhists, but the outsides were fascinating enough to look at.
After that, we went higher up into the mountains to another famous temple, the name of which I have lost.
After walking around the temples and up and down some beautiful mountain paths, we went in search of lunch and found it at McDonalds. I had my very first Bulgogi burger, and I admit, it was pretty delicious.
Also, interesting cultural fact: In Korea, McDonalds delivers!
After lunch our energy was revived, so we went to Tumuli Park which contains the tombs of the ancient rulers of the area. The tombs were giant earthen mounds, and there was one that you could go into (no pictures allowed) and see the underground portion of. It was actually a very lovely park and I enjoyed it. A very different kind of graveyard than I am used to! The green, grassy mounds reminded me of something out of Europe, or maybe the Shire.
All in all, it was a good day and a good opportunity to get more of a taste of Korean history and culture. I really loved being in the mountains and the rural areas, and the tombs were my favorite part of the day. As bad as it sounds, I think it would have been a lot of fun to walk to the top of one and have a picnic.
Well that is all for the Gyeongju trip. In the next couple of weeks I will hopefully be writing some detailed blog posts all about my five day trip to Seoul. Get ready for a lot of pictures.
So far my time in Korea has been an incredible learning opportunity, and I am very grateful for all of the blessings God has poured into my life while I am here. I miss a lot of things about home, particularly the people, but Korea is starting to feel like a home as well. God is good!
As always, thank you for reading.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls."
Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksatemple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongju)
If you are curious for more information, I found another good site that has more of the history:
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=255885
We set out from Pohang on bus, and ended up hiring a taxi for the entire day to drive us everywhere. It was the cheapest and most convenient option, and worked quite well. The trip to Gyeongju took about an hour and a half. It was rainy for a few hours, but that did not make it an unpleasant trip. It only added to the beautiful mountainside scenes that we drove up and down.
The first place we went to was Bulguksa temple complex. I love the architecture--very intricate. We could not go inside any of the temples because they are special sites for Buddhists, but the outsides were fascinating enough to look at.
After that, we went higher up into the mountains to another famous temple, the name of which I have lost.
After walking around the temples and up and down some beautiful mountain paths, we went in search of lunch and found it at McDonalds. I had my very first Bulgogi burger, and I admit, it was pretty delicious.
Also, interesting cultural fact: In Korea, McDonalds delivers!
After lunch our energy was revived, so we went to Tumuli Park which contains the tombs of the ancient rulers of the area. The tombs were giant earthen mounds, and there was one that you could go into (no pictures allowed) and see the underground portion of. It was actually a very lovely park and I enjoyed it. A very different kind of graveyard than I am used to! The green, grassy mounds reminded me of something out of Europe, or maybe the Shire.
All in all, it was a good day and a good opportunity to get more of a taste of Korean history and culture. I really loved being in the mountains and the rural areas, and the tombs were my favorite part of the day. As bad as it sounds, I think it would have been a lot of fun to walk to the top of one and have a picnic.
 |
| Our little group |
So far my time in Korea has been an incredible learning opportunity, and I am very grateful for all of the blessings God has poured into my life while I am here. I miss a lot of things about home, particularly the people, but Korea is starting to feel like a home as well. God is good!
As always, thank you for reading.
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