My Mom 어마 came to visit from Florida in early April. She timed her trip with the predicted cherry blossoms. However, most of the petals in the Busan region had blown off by the time she got here. Luckily, she was able to take a train to Seoul where the trees were still in full bloom.
A serious cold snap sent temperatures below freezing but that didn’t stop us from having an event packed weekend. My mom came into my school and sat in on my first class. Before school, we took her to Oncheonjang 온천장, the stream with all the pretty cherry blossoms 벚꽃- what a difference a week makes!
The difference between the full blooming trees in my ‘Spring’ post and these – 5 days! This is one symbolic significance of the trees – the ephemeral nature of the blossoms and life itself
Next, we went for a walk along Dalmaji 달맞이 hill. “Dal” means moon in Korean and this area is called ‘moon viewing hill’. This relatively easy hike offers spectacular views of the city
Koreans are fanatical when it comes to hiking. Every weekend, hordes of hikers head to the mountains decked out in the latest gear and fashion. A trip to the mountain almost always includes food and copious amounts of alcohol in the form of soju or makgeolli
Next we hopped in a cab to Haedong Youngung Temple 해동 용궁사 – more commonly called ‘seaside temple’. Most temples are located in the mountains and involve some work to get to. However, this one is unique for being on the ocean cliffs.
You can see some of the lanterns are already up in preparation for Buddha’s Birthday in May
