Jecheon

Jecheon is one of the last places I visited in Korea, but it is by far my most favorite. Maybe it's because it is away from the noisy streets of the city or maybe because I got to meet some of the sweetest relatives I somehow forgot I had. I'm not sure. But, here are some pictures that I took of the area that just blew me away.

And here are some family pics:

Car Trouble Solved!

I've found a solution to my sleeping problem in the car...and train (yes, I found out that I also like dozing in the train as well). As soon as I know that I'm driving with someone (usually a relative) for more than 40 mins. I tell him/her that I am bound to pass out at some point in time. I've found the advanced warning suffices. So far I have been met with "oh okay, that's fine."

To be fair to the driver, I've done my best to avoid riding in the front passenger's seat as I've found that the primary duty of the person in that seat is to keep conversation going to keep the driver entertained.
But, yesterday on our way to Guinsa, I thought I could beat the ZZZs so I confidently sat in the front passenger seat of my uncle's car to chat and enjoy the mountains, rivers and lakes of Jecheon. Unfortunately, I overestimated my ability to keep my eyes open and the temptation to close them was just too much to bear and so, after about 45 mins. (even that was a bit of a struggle) I quickly informed my uncle that I was going to fall asleep. I leaned back and passed out.
My uncle, being the good man that he is, stopped by a beautiful river to gently wake me from my slumber before heading to our real destination. :) After a fifteen minute break, where I got to clear my head, we headed to the Guinsa Temple.

I wish I could have shared another solution to the car-train-sleeping problem, but alas! who knew that sleep could have such a strong hold on me? Until I find an alternative solution, this one will have to work.
I'm only sorry that I didn't get to use my "advanced warning" solution on the Karlinger family and Claudia...but I can assure you, they know now. haha. Oh, the problems I endure throughout my travels!

The Game

Yesterday, my uncle and aunt took mom and I to see a play called The Game. It was a mostly non-verbal drama that portrayed the ups and downs of a boxing champion and his team. The story goes that the boxing champion ends up selling out his team and goes to another agency where he is offered more money and luxuries. The team is left with a few mediocre boxers and one really good hidden-talented boxer. The hidden-talented boxer ends up fighting the boxing champion at the World Fighting Championship...and with all my experience and knowledge (I've seen all the Rocky movies thank you very much) I assumed that the winner would be the hidden-talented boxer.
Who do you think won?

Well, the boxing champion was knocked-out and then picked up by the hidden-talented boxer and they both get up together and raise their hands in victory.

So lovely, huh? No blood and guts and everyone wins. A feel-good play that holds many lessons to learn and keep.

Jeju Island

Korea

A week and a half has past since I've been in Korea and so many impressions and thoughts of the country have come and gone. Here are several that I remember:

- Korea is much busier and dirtier than I thought it would be. This statement not only holds true for the larger cities (ie: Seoul), but also smaller cities as well. There are people everywhere, even late at night and maybe their late-night ventures leads to littering.
- The rest stops in Korea are wonderful. So much food!! Besides being able to do your business at the rest stops you are free to purchase small bites of joy for relatively cheap. So far I've eaten: walnut cakes, corn, dried persimmon, and half a corn dog.
- It's not true that everyone in Korea is thin and skinny. I've seen plenty of people (women included) who are voluptuous and I like it.
- I'm not a big fan of wearing slippers in the wet bathrooms. Mom thinks that it's genius that you can get the floors wet in the entire bathroom...and I agree up to a point, but I'm not a fan of having to slide your way to the toilet.
- The food has been good, but not great. I haven't eaten anything yet that has blown me away. In fact, I've tried to get some good pat bing soo (Korean dessert) for a while now and haven't succeeded.
- I think Korean clothes for women are super cute and reasonably priced. I went to Namdaemun with mom and just checking out the clothes was fun.
- The apartments are small compared to America and I don't think folks here need a lot (furniture, clothes, etc.) to get by. It feels a bit cramped, but maybe it's the affluent westerner in me talking.
- Driving in Seoul is nuts. Reminds me of the time Sun, Jenn, Dad, Mom, and I were heading to Manu's engagement party in New York and somehow landed right smack dab in the middle of New York City traffic.
- The weather is hot and humid and there is a slight haze in the weather that makes the country look a bit foggy (smoggy?). I miss the clear skies and brilliant stars of Konigswiesen.
- I enjoy learning about the olden days and checking out the palaces and temples that have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I'm in awe of how things were done back then...from doing the laundry to collecting rice.
- I love meeting family...even if they are distant relatives. It reminds me that my roots go deeper than I know and I shouldn't forget to appreciate the family tree.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure about Korea. It's been so long since I've been here and I've heard so many differing opinions about the country that I entered this place with a preconceived notion of what to expect and braced myself for what was to come. But, I must say, that so far I've been pleasantly surprised by the welcome smiles and openness of the people. Once folks find out that I'm from the States they are quick to tell me about someone they know who lives there or want to hear about where I'm from.

So far so good. Traveling with mom has been a blast if not somewhat tiring. But, like she said yesterday, we will look back on this trip and remember some amazing times. I agree and hope that my remaining two weeks here are as good as the first two.

Korea

My thoughts second...pictures first. :)

Yum! Hodduk (sweet hotcakes) time. :)

Cruisin' on a boat

Enjoying the beautiful islands

Mom at breakfast

Say "cheese" or "Kimchi"

One of the many palaces we visited

At a historical Korean marine museum

With Aunt and Uncle at a tower overlooking the city

Oh gosh, I forget the name of this place. It was near Chung Won...I believe :)

Me and mom

I love this picture. I think I said something funny so the smiles were brighter.

A couple dressed up in Korean traditional dress. I didn't know them, but they were happy to get their picture taken.

At Yong In Min Sok Chun...a Korean traditional village

At Seoul Tower with a guard. He was very nice. 

Hard Part

I thought the hardest part of traveling would be leaving home and missing family and friends back in the states. Boy, was I wrong. Leaving Austria and the Karlingers on Tuesday was terrible and I wish I can hop on the plane and go back to see them. My circle of people that I miss is growing and I find it difficult to transition as I leave one place and go to another. I'm sure that my capacity to love has grown since I met the Karlingers and friends in Konigswiesen and I am thankful.

I'm just discovering Korea and it's so different than Austria. I pray that my time here will be filled with great encounters with people, culture, and of course - food. :)

I miss you: Franz, Ingrid, Simon, Tobias, Moritz, Claudia, both Omas, Uncle Adi, Scheuchenpflug family, and everyone who works at the restaurant. Thinking of you.

Memories

I have exactly 4 days left in Austria before I head to Korea on Tuesday. There have been so many great moments that have now been imprinted on my mind and heart. Some of them have been captured on camera. Here are some pictures that, to me, are more lovely than the famous sites and sounds of Austria.

Trying to get the 750-piece New York City puzzle glued on a board. Half success and half failure. We thought we could slide the finished puzzle onto the board. But it didn't quite work out the way we imagined it. We had to rebuild some of New York on the ground quickly as the glue dried.

A huge zucchini picked from Simon's garden. This was not the first nor the biggest...he also grew some amazing pumpkins that were pureed into soup and sold at the restaurant.

Kardinalschnitte - Ingrid and I baked 3 of these...you know, to get it perfect.

Hunting rabbits: Moritz and friend, Luka

Konigswiesen sunset taken at my favorite place in Austria: the Karlingers' terrace. 

Random trip to Friestadt with Ingrid and Moritz. We went to a lovely konditorei and then shopped at Bipa where I got some great baby stuff for Nathan.

Breakfast with the boys. Bread is a must. Nutella is a double must. It didn't take a long time for me to get used to the idea of having chocolate for breakfast.

Fishing with the Karlinger men. It was my first time and we caught 1 big fish and 1 small one (technically we caught 2 big fish, but one got away).

We had to hurry up and fish as it was going to rain soon...usually the two don't go together, but we made it work.  

Tobi was a fishing machine. And he had no fear when it came to sticking worms on the hook or getting the hook out of the fish's mouth. Not for me.

This is what the kitchen looked like most of the time Ingrid and I were in it. We baked...oh probably about 7 or 8 cakes. We ate probably 10 or 12 (including apple strudels and cakes made by Omas and others purchased).

Our faithful friend that never let us down.

Ingrid said she couldn't breath in her dress. I thought she looked lovely.

Picture taken while hiking with Ingrid and Moritz (we had an exceptional amount of food/sweets this day and had to walk some of it off). After the hike we visited Ingrid's cousin and...ate more cake.

Franz's favorite cake that Ingrid and I ate the majority of. It was DELICIOUS. Name of cake: too awful to write.

"Wood chip day": Wood chips were ordered to supply heat for the next year or two for the house (it took 4 large truck containers to accomplish this). The smell of the cut up wood was wonderful. 

A day at the wineries with the restaurant family. Our first stop was to an Ostrich farm, then we headed to two wineries where we eat and drank the afternoon away.

The vineyards were so lovely...and I particularly liked the logo of this winery. The Karlingers get their wine for their restaurant from here.

Me and Clemens (cousin of the boys). He is near and dear to my heart. His shy and sweet demeanor I think was what drew me to him. In this picture he looks deathly afraid of me.

Bowling with the family was a blast. A separate area from the restaurant, we were able to bowl several times and play different games. I think the team that I was on always lost though.

I loved watching the boys assist with Mass (here with Uncle Adi). There was always a scramble to find clean trousers and shoes before they headed out.

Shopping in Moritz's shop was always a blast. He informed me what was on sale and encouraged me to buy more. I coveted Moritz's cash register and scanner...I wish I had something comparable when I was younger. And one of the best things about shopping at Moritz's was he delivered purchases to my room (when he felt like it).

One of my fondest memories: rafting in Krumlov. The weather hovered between rainy and cloudy, our raft was a bit precarious especially when we went over small falls, our level of paddling was poor (not to mention steering the raft), and the desire for the boys to sit in different places during our trip was untimely. Franz, who had rafted with his fishing buddies a few weeks prior exactly on the same route, was frustrated at our inefficient level of paddling (we drifted from one side of the river to the other, rarely going straight and our raft consistently was turned around. On the off chance that we did row straight we would get stuck on a rock and our raft would sit on it until Tobi and/or Simon would hop out and jiggle us around until we were unstuck). My flip flop fell apart and I had to hobble once we got back on solid ground. We almost missed our bus ride back to the car but that might have been okay because our van driver was nuts and he drove as though there was no tomorrow.

Incredible, awesome times.