South Korea with Iris

The weather is getting better and I try to travel as much as it is possible. It is hard to travel overseas, but if be honest, there are so many places to visit in Korea too. And I don’t think I will ever say that I visited all of them. Today I will take you to the Seoul National Cemetery. You may say ‘Uhhh…it is scary, it is creepy, but I am sure you will change your opinion after our online tour. Location The cemetery is located in Seoul on Dongjak Station (Subway Line 4 and 9). About Seoul National Cemetery During the difficult time in the 1940-50s when wars took the lives of soldiers, there was a need for a cemetery. In the beginning, most soldiers were buried in the local areas where they served. But an increasing number of deaths made it necessary to install the cemetery. During the search for the cemetery installation area, ten areas were explored in 7 rounds. And as a result, the current location of Dongjak-dong in Seoul was chosen. The cemetery site was confirmed and approved b

Today I invite you to the past! Let’s take a look at Korea a few years ago. The thing that I really like in Korea is how government and people respect and try to save their history. And they do it in a very unique and creative way. One of the examples is Donuimun Museum Village, which was officially opened in 2015 (If I am not mistaken). Short history Donuimun was the main gate of the west Hanyang city wall which was first built in 1396 but then was closed in 1413 because of the damage to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Then the gate was renamed New Saemun and the area inside it was called Saemunangol or Saemunan district. In 1915 during the Japanese rule, Donuimun was demolished in order to expand the road. From the 1960s individual houses were renovated into tutorial rooms and prestigious schools, so that area was associated with private education. But later these schools were moved to the Gangnam area. In the 1990s, many houses were transformed into restaurants. When most of the buildings we

Are you ready for an online tour? Today our destination is a well-known Buddhist temple Bongeunsa Temple. There are a few Buddhist temples with a men ‘Bongeunsa’ in Seoul. But the most famous one is the one which is located in the centre of Seoul, close to the business centre COEX. A little bit of history… The temple’s history sacrifices a very long history which starts from the Silla dynasty and continues today. The temple was built in 794 and it was called the Gyeongsonsa Temple. According to Samguksa (history of 3 states), the monk Yong-hwe was living near Mountain Yonghuk and was studying Buddhist sutras. He was the chief monk in the state of Silla. In addition, in the 38th book of Samguksa it is noted that among the seven main royal memorial monasteries (Sachuwang-sa (사천왕사), Bongseonsa (봉선사), Gameunsa (감은사), Bongdeoksa (봉덕사), Youngmosa(영모사), Youngheunsa (영흥사), Bongyeunsa(봉은사)) there is a temple of Bongyeunsa. During the reign of Silla, Buddhist temples played an important role. Th

It was a while since I shared with you my travel stories… But today I have something special for you. Personally, I really like books. I like the smell of hard copies. Of course, there are pros and cons of both digital and paper books. But that is not what I am going to tell you. Today I want to show you a Book Museum in Seoul. Location The Book Museum is located in Seoul in South Korea. The exact address is 77, Songpadae-ro 37-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul Entry fee It is FREE. Just come and spend time here. Book Museum The museum was founded in 2019 (If I am not mistaken). So it is a pretty new one. Inside it is very bright and cozy. You feel like at home here. It is something like a library, museum, and cafe at the same time. Actually, yes, there is a cafe on the 1st floor of the museum. But it is closed now because of coronavirus. I would split the museum into 2 parts: library and museum. There is not a specific library section. Books are everywhere. And a whole building looks like a study

Time flies and it is almost 2020. Everyone is busy with work, home stuff, and New Year preparations. People are staying in the lines to shops. Many stores sell a lot of beautiful and yummy things. Because everyone wants to buy gifts for their friends and family. In one word, Christmas is everywhere. However, in South Korea and in the most part of South-East Asia New Year atmosphere is a little bit different. December 25th and Lunar New Year are significant holidays in South Korea, but not December 31st. Lunar New Year changes from year to year according to the Lunar Calendar. Usually, it is mid of January or February. This year New Year in Korea will come on January 25. And Korea will rest for 4 days! Maybe you will think it is super short, especially if we compare winter holidays in Russia. But for Koreans having at least 1 extra vacation day means a lot. Korean New Year or Lunar New Year is called Seollal (설날). Many shops and public places are usually closed during the holidays. Seol