Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival

Every year there is a Cherry Blossom festival in Gyeongju. We decided that despite the crowds it would be fun to go. Gyeongju has a rich history aside in addition to great cherry blossoms. So this is part of what Wikipedia had to say about Gyeongju:

Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled most 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".

And here is a map. "A" is where Gyeongju is and Ulsan (where we live) is a forty minute or so drive straight south of Gyeongju.

Our first stop was Anapji Pond which was an artificial pond created by a king for his queen in 674 AD. The sun was kinda hiding so the photos I took aren't so great, but here they are:

Here are some non-historical site related details:

Crazy devil-eared Korean squirrels

A classic misspelling

Our second stop was the Bulguksa Temple. I've seen 10 million Buddhist temples, so I have to admit that while it was cool, I was slightly underwhelmed since this is supposedly the "Number 1" historical site to see in Korea. They wouldn't let you take pictures of the Buddha statues inside and it wasn't very stroller friendly so I was kinda ticked, but here are some pix.

"What's up? I'm at a Buddhist Temple and I just woke up from a sweet stroller nap."

The Paparazzi

Turns out Lincoln was a highlight for other site see-ers

Under the eaves of the temple are really cool... looks like a brid thought so too.

Lincoln likes to sit on the belly

Amanda GQin' it at the temple

Gotta rub the lucky brass pig

Doors to the monk dorm... kinda cool, huh?

The hairy nipples are a nice touch, don't ya think?

Boiled silk worms were on the menu at the concession stands.... yuck!

Lunch with Scott and Amanda

A little walk by the Kimchi pots outside the restaurant

Last stop was downtown Gyeongju to see the cherry blossoms.

So sunny!

The mounds in the background are tombs of royalty... I think I'd rather have a pyramid.



Hard to see the blossoms against the white sky

Last but not least