Biking in Gyeongju, the Best Way to Spend Korean Memorial Day

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile, I’ve gotten super busy with social media marketing ever since my new post at Aclipse as International Marketing Assistant. Check out my blog posts here, and follow me on twitter at @arieldrosen for more Korea updates!

Anyway, Thursday was Korean Memorial Day, so everyone got off work! My friends and I decided to travel to Gyeongju to ride bikes and check out some historical sites. Gyeongju was the capital of Silla, an ancient Korean dynasty, (57 BC – 935 AD). There is also an amusement park there! But we’re saving that for another trip. It takes about an hour and half to drive there from Busan, but the drive was beautiful so no worries. Ok, here come the photos!

The first pagoda of the day!

The first pagoda of the day!

Important people burial hills

Important people burial hills

wide roads perfect for biking

wide roads perfect for biking

Cheomseongdae, a very old astronomical observatory from the Silla kingdom

Cheomseongdae, a very old astronomical observatory from the Silla kingdom

a horse and carriage!

a horse and carriage!

beautiful wide roads

beautiful wide roads

the best way to travel

the best way to travel

a field

a field

more fields

more fields

walking amongst palaces

walking amongst palaces

washing our hands!

washing our hands!

view from a pagoda palace

view from a pagoda palace

inside the pagoda

inside the pagoda

view from a pagoda palace 2

view from a pagoda palace 2

koi!

koi!

view from a pagoda palace 3

view from a pagoda palace 3

view from a pagoda palace 4, looking at another palace!

view from a pagoda palace 4, looking at another palace!

a diorama

a diorama

pagoda

pagoda

view from a pagoda palace 5

view from a pagoda palace 5

view from a pagoda palace 6

view from a pagoda palace 6

more koi

more koi

If I lived in the Silla dynasty, I would definitely want to live here.

If I lived in the Silla dynasty, I would definitely want to live here.

an old knarly tree

an old knarly tree

a stream

a stream

the original Silla irrigation system!

the original Silla irrigation system!

wide roads

wide roads

turtle scupltures

turtle scupltures

the Bell of King Seongdeok

the Bell of King Seongdeok

Look I'm ringing the bell! The palace guards are after me, run!

Look I’m ringing the bell! The palace guards are after me, run!

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 2

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 2

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 3

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 3

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 4

Wandering around the Gyeongju National Museum 4

graves

graves

this one looks even older than all the other ones

this one looks even older than all the other ones

turtle sculpture!

turtle sculpture!

Beheaded buddhas

Beheaded buddhas

Beheaded buddha up close. No one meant to behead these, the clay is just not very sturdy and their heads fell off.

Beheaded buddha up close. No one meant to behead these, the clay is just not very sturdy and their heads fell off.

King Me!

King Me!

Buddha

Buddha

Buddha 2

Buddha 2

Buddha 3

Buddha 3

Amongst rice fields!

Amongst rice fields!

A Korean feast after a lot of biking

A Korean feast after a lot of biking

Amongst the flowers!

Amongst the flowers!

Well, I didn’t take any bike riding photos, I was too focused on biking, haha. But others did and they will probably pop up soon! Anyway, I love Gyeongju and cannot wait to go back again sometime. Hooray for holidays!

Miss you all!

나중에 봬요!

-Ariel