Great wall of Korea

We got to put a check mark next to our first South Korean UNESCO World Heritage Site: Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. We learned that this used to be an entirely walled-in city, built so that a former dynasty could protect and defend itself.

The day began with what we thought would be a short walk to the train station in our current city, but after walking for nearly thirty minutes and arriving at the wrong station, we concluded that getting to the train station should be done by taxi.

Finally in Suwon, we wandered for a while in search of food, certainly with that deer-in-the-headlights tourist look on our faces. I wish I could remember the name of the place we chose for lunch because it was really good. Ordering food was an adventure, as it usually is for us in this country. Luckily, neither of us has any dietary restrictions or high-strung “picky eater” demands, so we decided on a thing that was listed as “most popular” on the menu and then waited in anticipation to see what it would be. The meal, served on a hot skillet in the middle of our table, involved chicken, udon noodles, cabbage, sprouts, a few other unrecognizable vegetables, and a spicy red sauce. It was very tasty and proved to be great fuel for the literal hike of a day ahead of us.

We spent a little while exploring within the palace grounds at the base of the fortress. There are a number of cultural artifacts there as well as some pretty fantastic interactive paintings with historical significance.

Then we did the hike. There was probably about a mile of hills and steps we had to climb, but it felt like fourteen. Note to self: wear athletic shoes next time, not Converse.

Only halfway there. But definitely living on a prayer.

But when we finally got to the top, we got to take in the view of the entire city surrounding us. It made the hike all seem worth it, even fun! Plus the view while walking down the other side of the hill at dusk was not too shabby either.

I know that Suwon has much more to offer besides Hwaseong Fortress, so we will try to go back for more in the future!