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Day
9 (October 3, 2023) Gyeongju
Before
This day we will have a train to Seoul in the evening, so we
will spend the time we have until we have to go to the station to visit
what we could not cover the previous day in Gyeongju.
Once back in Seoul it doesn't seem like we will have much
more time than for going to the hotel and checking in.
The spots marked at map are:
0- Namuae Lodge
1- Royal Tombs Complex
2- Seongdong market
3- Bunhwangsa temple
4- Anapji
5- Cheomsongdae Observatory
6- Woljeong Bridge
7- Gyochon Traditional Village
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After
Today we have to spend the entire day in Gyeongju because the
end of the national holidays has only left us tickets for the last
train, at 10:38 PM. So around 8:30 AM we go to breakfast where our
hostess in this traditional house has prepared various cut fruits. The
rest is self-service from the bread and the toaster and the cereals and
the milk. She explains to us that she had been a professional dancer,
while she points out the photos of her on stage that are hanging in the
walls, and that she has been in a lot of countries, including the ones
everyone was belonging.
We check out nearly at the deadline, 11AM, and leave our bags
there to pick them up at night. They let us keep the key to the
entrance so we don't have problems when collecting our luggage.
We left with the plan of continuing the itinerary through the city that
we should have started yesterday. It starts by returning to the royal
tomb complex to see the only tomb that can be visited inside.
We pay 3,000 won each and visit where, apart from the tomb and
the jewels of the queen, artifacts from the time are also displayed.
We take the exit on the opposite side of the one we entered to
follow the route towards the park where the Cheomsongdae observatory is
located. This is the remains of an ancient observatory tower.
On the way out of that park towards Anapji we come across an unexpected parade of classic costumes.
 
We go across the road to reach the entrance to Anapji, a pond
where there was a palace, which we access by paying another 3,000 won.
Only three pavilions remain of the palace, but the beauty here
is its location next to the pond full of water lilies. We complete the
route with a pleasant breeze and relaxing traditional music in the
background.
From here we have a short walk to an acquaintance from
yesterday: the Woljeong Bridge. Close to reach it we find a platform
with benches and rest for a while looking at the bridge in the sunlight
for the first time.
When we arrive to the bridge we see that it is much less crowded than last night and it allows us to take some pictures.
From the bridge we immediately go to Gyochon Traditional Village, where
we choose the first restaurant we see to eat: a beef soup with rice for
me and a kind of breaded beef with salad for Eva. We pay 24,000 won in
total.
Then we go to explore the traditional village, but the first
thing we find is a stand where they make some curious ice cream and we
order one to share as dessert of the meal we just had. The base is made
of mochi balls and it comes covered in pieces of almonds and other
things that we don't recognize.
 
Then we continue the visit throughout the villa until we leave
it to complete our itinerary returning to the area of our accommodation.
We have tea in a cafe to kill time. Then we go to the same bar
where we had dinner yesterday where Eva stays, because I want to go
back to the bridge to take the photos illuminated at night that I
didn't take yesterday. When I arrive the lights are not on even though
it is 5:30 PM and it gets dark here around 6 PM.
It is at 5:50 PM when they turn on the lighting and I take my photos before coming back to Eva.
We make a little more time and collect our bags around 7 PM and
head to the main street with the doubt of how long it will take to find
a taxi, but when we arrive I already see two with the free light on
and, although a couple take the first one, the second carries our
luggage and takes us to the station by 1800 won.
At the station we have a long wait of about 3 hours for our
train. Our Korean hostess told us this morning that our tickets were
for standing. When we ask at the ticket office they confirm this and
show us on the computer that all the tickets are sold, including the
standing ones, so there is no payment option to improve. But when we
return later and check again, it turns out that someone has returned
their tickets and they allow us to exchange ours for the seats that
have become free.
We celebrate the good news and wait for our 10:38 PM train which, as usual, arrives on time.
The ride takes two hours, but we lose almost one more hour in line for a taxi, so we arrive at the hotel at 2 AM.
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