{Weekend in Tongyeong: Part One}

Tongeyong, a peninsular fishing town in southern Korea made the perfect destination for a recent weekend getaway.

The area is known for a history of art and culture, a place where many of Korea's most famous writers and artists have lived and worked.

We split the afternoon of our first day between Tongyeong City's beautiful parks.  Two overlooked the water, and a third was full of interesting sculptures.

We took a long walk along the marina, stopping to tour a traditional battleship from the late 16th century.

 Tummies rumbling, we snacked on the city's local cuisine, oyster pancakes.  We followed those with Tongyeong's famous sweet honey bread.  I wasn't too thrilled with the oysters, but the donut-like dessert got no complaints.

In the evening we bargained for a quaint room where we watched the sun set over the ocean.

More to come on the art, food and nature highlights from our weekend in Tongyeong!

Summer to do list

It's safe to say that summer has arrived in Busan.  The forecast shows nothing but sunny seventies and eighties!  I can't stop smiling.

{Here are a few things we can't wait to do this summer, in no particular order}

1. Finally make it back to a Busan Giants baseball game.

2. Explore Korea's many southern islands, and camp on one.

3. Watch the sunrise over Gwangali Bridge.

4. Listen to this song as much as possible, and take the lyrics to heart.

5. Celebrate three wonderful years of marriage.

6. Visit Jeju Island (tickets booked for August!) and climb Mt. Halla.



7. Walk along the Chenoggye Stream in Seoul. (This time without freezing.)

8. Make mojitos and drink them on our apartment's rooftop.

source

9. Eat as many fresh summer fruits and vegetables as we can.

10. Rent a kayak and take it for a ride.

11.  Get cocktails in a to-go bag.

12. Plan our trip for next winter. (Malysia/Indonesia/Australia!)

Who wouldn't want a scarf and booties?

Tuesday was Teacher's Day in Korea and many of our students and their parents showed us their appreciation with sweet cards and gifts.  Ryan's favorite present is pictured below.  

The purple bow lace booties didn't make it into the picture because I wore them around the apartment last night.  The fact that Ryan is a man didn't seem to be factored into his gift... or maybe the mama who did the Teacher's Day shopping never got that message.

Tuesday evening we were treated to dinner for the holiday.  Ryan cooked beef for the table in a broth mixed with vegetables, fresh noodles and mandu.

I stuffed fresh veggies and tofu into rice paper to make delicious fresh wraps and enjoyed the cabbage slaw that comes as a side dish with most Korean meals.

All of the teachers were given gifts of clothing after dinner.  Ryan and our two male co-workers played Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who picked out their t-shirt first. 
{This game is crazy popular here and the students turn to it when any dispute arises in class.}

The rest of us female teachers drew a number and took our pick of adorable dresses handpicked by the owner of our school.

Happy belated Teacher's Day to all the teachers out there.

  Go here for a laugh. :)

Bridge Walk and Rooftop Park

We walked across our favorite bridge at the beginning of this month.  

It's hard to believe it was two years ago that we participated in the first annual Gwangan Bridge Walk.  Remember?
Time sure flies.

The weather was perfect for this year's event and we had a lovely day taking it all in.

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We balanced out our exercise with an unhealthy post-walk lunch.

 Then later we explored a rooftop park.

 There were bunnies there!

After catching some sun, we saw this action flick. 

I love sunny Sundays.  Keep 'em coming!