Fragments from South Korea II: places

Despite the collection of people and street captures from my previous post, during my trip to South Korea last March there were also the customary cultural visits; what could be called as the landmarks trip was, no doubt, also plan of my program: I wanted to see the monuments and places that have shaped Korean history up to now, and those places were unavoidable. Today's post will be, in consequence, all about them: the old palaces, the traditional houses but also the new, modern buildings that coexist next to each other will appear here with no clear separation between them, as that is how I found them: unplanned neighbors that, altogether, form the broader picture of the current Korean landscape.

Changdeokgung Palace, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Gyeongbokgung Palace, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Grey spring, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Dry ivy, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Cable car, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

There were sunny days and cloudy ones; cold and warm afternoons, days with company and lonely walks, coffees and teas, beds and futons, brick hostels and hanoks (traditional Korean houses), yet a sense of familiarity soon grew within me as I traveled the country; despite the rapid modernization and the diversity of the places and even the costumes, Koreans possess (and exhibit) a very compact culture and, no matter where you go, you will see it clearly. They have embraced the new era but they haven't forgotten their roots, and I could see as much with clarity in every city (big and small) I set feet on.

Resting hut, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Horizontal & vertical, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Greenhouse, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

DMZ, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Lonely stroll, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

A conversation between nature, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The calendar said that spring had just began, and the most South I traveled, the clearer this was to spot: Seoul was still shaking the colds of winter off its body, yet down in Gyeongju a warmer weather welcomed me and started awaking the flowers in the trees; they were still shy and sparse, yet sprouts and blooms could be seen here and there giving the landscape a much needed bit of color.

Blossoming, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Patterns, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Warm afternoon, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Sunset & flowers I, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Sunset & flowers II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The queen of the park I,  GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The queen of the park II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Nights were still cold, however, so my days tended to end up right after dinner or not much later after that, thus my photographies were taken mostly at daytime, but some places had a special glow after sunset and I didn't want to miss the chance to see them and capture their eerie beauty with the artificial lamps that were illuminating them as all other natural lights faded into oblivion.

Night trees I, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Night trees II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Night trees III, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

And finally I reached my Southernmost destination: Busan. Not that many km from Gyeongju, or from Seoul for that matter, yet the weather was completely different (hot and windy) and the skies a much brighter blue, devoid of all traces of grey clouds and haze, which invited people to go out much more. Signs of a life lived outdoors could be spotted everywhere (from retired heaters to incipient crops to exhibitionist bar terraces) and that, in turn, infected me as well and invited me to walk much more than in previous, uninviting days.

Yellow, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Winter is gone, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Waiting for warmer days, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Time to sow, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Someone's at home, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Yes, spring had reached the South of the Korean peninsula at full throttle already, and nowhere could this be seen more visibly than in Dalmaji-gil, an upper-class neighborhood on the steep slopes of Dalmaji hill, facing Haeundae Beach, where hundreds of blossomed cherry trees exhibited their flowers to hordes of tourists (mostly locals and Chinese) walking up and down the lane under the soft shade of the trees.

Cherry orchard, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

Cherry claws, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The cherry tower I, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The cherry tower II, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The cherry tower III, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

The cherry tower IV, GM1 + Panasonic Leica 15mm

And thus my trip ended in a warm, colorful note. A perfect farewell for a trip long time in the making that finally came and went in the blink of an eye.