I didn’t do much on the last day of my February vacation in Korea, so let’s close the book on this journey by assembling a simple photopost. Now if you’ve been keeping up with my blog over the past few years, you’ll know that I’ve seen these places before … but then again, I can’tContinue reading “Field Snapshots: Something old, something new in Seoul, South Korea (19 February 2018)”
Category Archives: Korea 2018
Field Report: A Nighttime Stroll Along Seoullo 7017, Seoul, South Korea (18 February 2018)
I’m stuck at home with the flu as I type this post, but I’ve found a way to cope with the fever: replaying memories of one bitterly, bitterly cold February night in Seoul, when I went for a nighttime walk across the Korean capital’s slick new linear park.
Field Report: The Northwestern Walls of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, South Korea (18 February 2018)
On a chilly winter’s day this past February, I returned to Suwon in order to take care of some long-unfinished business: namely, completing my trek around the city’s massive Joseon-era fortress wall.
Field Snapshots: New Expressions of Traditional Architecture in Suwon, South Korea (18 February 2018)
Some have confessed to being puzzled by my habit of visiting Japan and Korea with (what might be viewed as) unusual, perhaps even alarming frequency. But what can I say: every time I swing by, I discover something new to pique my interest, and that bears with it the promise of yet more new discoveriesContinue reading “Field Snapshots: New Expressions of Traditional Architecture in Suwon, South Korea (18 February 2018)”
Field (and a bit of Rail) Report: Suwon Hwaseong Museum, South Korea (18 February 2018)
This report should have been focused on the museum in the title – but, as you’ll see further on, I was momentarily distracted by the transportation infrastructure I employed to reach it. What can I say: I’m a railway enthusiast through and through. But read on chaps, and I promise you that we’ll end upContinue reading “Field (and a bit of Rail) Report: Suwon Hwaseong Museum, South Korea (18 February 2018)”
Rail Report: Gyeongju to Seoul on the Mugunghwa and KTX, South Korea (17 February 2018)
Travelling across Korea during the Seollal holiday rush is no picnic; not when trains are filled to bursting with hordes of people flooding back into the big urban centres from their hometowns. Fortunately, the KORAIL network’s efficient intercity services can help take some of the pain out of the annual migration … provided one isContinue reading “Rail Report: Gyeongju to Seoul on the Mugunghwa and KTX, South Korea (17 February 2018)”
Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 2 Part 2 (17 February 2018)
During the last few hours of my first visit to Gyeongju, I explored the ruins of what had once been amongst Silla’s greatest temples – now reduced to a grassy field littered with weathered stones and the ghostly outlines of long-lost buildings. Empty, silent, desolate … and for all that, a fitting canvas upon whichContinue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 2 Part 2 (17 February 2018)”
Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 2 Part 1 (17 February 2018)
In my last few posts (here, here, and here), we’ve seen some of the remarkable architectural relics of the long-lost Kingdom of Silla. Now we’re off to visit one of Korea’s finest museums, where we can admire and appreciate other historic treasures that might be far smaller in size, but are the equal of anyContinue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 2 Part 1 (17 February 2018)”
Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 3 (16 February 2018)
Evening light-ups can be a hit-or-miss affair, especially where historic sites are concerned. That said, I’ll admit that it’s interesting to reflect on how the kings and exalted personages of Silla, with all of their untold wealth and unbridled power, could never have enjoyed the nighttime vistas (courtesy of modern-day electric lighting) that we simpleContinue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 3 (16 February 2018)”
Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 2 (16 February 2018)
Earlier in the day, I’d seen how the ruling class of Silla once lived in settings of unparalleled luxury over a thousand years ago, as epitomised by the remains of their gardens and palaces. As I walked amongst the silent mounds of earth marking their graves, it became clear to me that they died surroundedContinue reading “Field Report: Two Days in Gyeongju, South Korea – Day 1 Part 2 (16 February 2018)”
Within striking distance 