Korean Ceramics Shopping in Yeoju, Korea

Korean Ceramics Two weeks ago I had a fun day ogling and purchasing a few pieces of lovely and practical Korean Ceramics in the City of Yeoju, a 90-minute drive east of Seoul. Welcome to week 325 (4/27/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. Come in and see the pieces that will be making their way back to Canada and my new condo later this year. If you are in Seoul and you want to purchase Korean ceramics or pottery, avoid the touristy shops in Itaewon or Insadong. Instead, grab a public bus or find a tour going to Yeosu. The city has been producing quality ceramics and pottery for centuries. Here you will pay a quarter of the price for the same vase or dish-set you may have eyed in downtown Seoul. Our first stop didn’t look like much, but once inside there was lots to choose from. My first purchase was this stunning white-on-white celadon short vase with cranes for a mere $20.00. I priced a similar piece in Itaewon a few days later, less than half the size and the shopkeeper quoted me $40.00. Our next stop was a shop with loads of gorgeous tableware in a rainbow of colors. I love tea, and could not pass up this stunning teapot ($25.00). This was a fab bargain as we found them sporting much higher price tags in other shops. I can’t wait to brew my first pot! The bamboo handle is perfectly heat resistant. This stunning piece had my name written all over it for a mere $25.00. This was my absolute favorite piece of the day. I...

A Traditional Craft Workshop in Seoul: Kum Baek Yeon

Entering the small hanok workshop in Seoul’s Bukchon’s Hanok Village, we were eager to try our hand at creating Kum Baek Yeon (gold leaf imprinting on silk). Welcome to week 314 ( 2/2/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. Join us as we learn the Korean tradition of gold leaf imprinting on silk. We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines. To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. Kum Baek Yeon is a technique originating from Korea’s Joseon dynasty (around 1849) and was used only on clothes stitched for and worn by the royal family. The first master craftsman was Kim Wanhyeong and now the fifth generation, Kim Gi – Ho, continues the tradition. Our first task was to choose the stamps we wanted to use, and under Mr. Kim’s guidance, we practiced our imprinting skills on a fabric swatch before being “let loose” on the real thing. Kum Baek Yeon After choosing our stamps, we all got down to preparing for the embossing. The technique is quite easy, but believe me, it takes time and dedication to produce high-quality gold imprinting. The first thing you do is cover the seal with just the right amount of glue and hold it over the heat for 5 seconds. Next, you take a wooden stick with a...

Seoul: Insadong Street Food

Insadong Street Food From Gwangjang Market ( last weeks post) we headed off to find the Insadong Street food scene. Welcome to week 298 (10/20/2016) of Travel Photo Thursday. First, we trekked along Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream what seemed like forever for about twenty minutes. Returning to street level, we came face to face with a piece of the Berlin Wall located in an outdoor plaza dubbed “Berlin Square.” A piece of the Berlin Wall in downtown Seoul took me completely by surprise! The city is home to three cement slabs from the Wall, along with a Berlin Street light, and benches and trees gifted to the city by Germany. The plaza symbolizes the future reunification of the two Koreas and Berlin provides financial support for the plaza. In fact, the last time I saw the Berlin Wall, it was standing, and I was on the verge of being arrested for not having the correct train ticket to travel between East and West Berlin. What a day that was! We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines… To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. How to get to the Berlin Wall Seoul: Located along the Cheonggyecheon stream adjacent to Samilgyo Bridge. There are three subway stations nearby: Line 1 Jonggak Station exit 5 Line...

Korean Traditional Food at Gwangjang Market

Korean Traditional Food This week we’re in downtown Seoul on a quest to discover and sample some of the best Korean traditional food the city has to offer. Welcome to week 297 (14/10/2016) of Travel Photo Thursday. Here we are at Gwangjang Market, exploring the three food alleys with the most popular traditional dishes, namely: Mayak Gimbap Alley, Yukhoe Alley, and Jeon Alley. We’re pretty easy going here at BTS, but please remember to follow a few guidelines… To join in the Travel Photo Thursday fun simply post a photo on your blog. Return here and place your link in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post. Please post a link to a post featuring a travel photo, not simply a link to your blog. Leave a comment before you go. I do read each and every one, and always try to respond. Gwangjang Market Gwangjang Market, opened in 1905, is Korea’s oldest market, and one of the largest traditional markets on the peninsula. Locals frequent Gwangjang for its quality silk products, kitchenware, hanbok, bedding, and fabric. However, what brings out the hordes of people is the traditional Korean food on offer, and we sampled the three most popular. Here we have bolts of fabric and other dry goods that bring in the local shoppers. Mayak Gimbap Alley Our first tasting was a very popular Korean snack food, Gimbap/Kimbap (김밥). However, this was Kimbap with a twist! Instead of the laver (seaweed) being the outside wrapper, as is the norm, this version has the rice (bap) as the outer layer and has the nicknames Nude Kimbap or Mayak Kimbap. The word mayak in Korean means...

Bourtange: Small Town in a Fortress

Posted by Admin on Jul 25, 2017 in Bourtange, Small Town Explorer | 0 comments

Bourtange

Bourtange: Small Town in a Fortress, written by my friend and fellow travel blogger Rachel, is the first small town expose in the series Small Town Explorer. The villages and towns we visit in our travels our often the hidden gems of a country or region. Readers will be introduced to small centers around the globe, featuring their uniqueness, their history, what to see and do, and where to stay and where to dine.

On her blog, Rachel’s Ruminations, Rachel Heller writes about independent travel, sometimes solo, sometimes not, with an emphasis on historical and cultural sights/sites. She is a former American who has lived in the Netherlands for the last 20 years.

Imagine a cobblestone plaza. Trees around its edge throw dappled shadows. Nine streets radiate from the plaza, but you see no cars, only an occasional bicycle. Small houses – some red-brick, some white-painted brick – face the plaza, simply designed with little embellishment. The wind rustles the trees from time to time, and you hear children shouting, footsteps on the cobbles, low conversation.

You sit on a chair on the edge of the plaza, a café table in front of you, sipping a drink. A beer? A coffee? A soft drink? Your choice. You take it all in, relaxed.

This plaza is called Marktplein, and it sits at the exact center of the small village of Bourtange, population just under 500.

But Bourtange is more than just a village. It’s a fortress, and it’s a museum.

Bourtange from the fortress wall

Magical Sunrise Shots

Posted by Nancie on Jul 21, 2017 in Travel Photo Thursday | 13 comments

Sunrise Shots

Keeping with the sun theme from last week, this week we are taking you on a tour of magical sunrise shots taken in my travels over the years. Welcome to week 337 (7/20/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. Here comes the sun. Enjoy!

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Sunrise from Clan Jetty Heritage Home, Penang

When you stay right on the water how can miss the sunrise? A few summers ago I spent a month exploring Penang, and although I stayed outside of the city center I did spend a few night at the Clan Jetty Heritage Home (highly recommended) taking in the Georgetown Festival and enjoying the ambiance of the Clan Jetties. The magic of the sunrise was impossible to resist and my camera was busy during my stay on the Jetty.

Jaw-Dropping Sunset Shots From Around the World

Posted by Nancie on Jul 13, 2017 in Budapest, Destinations, Egypt, Hungary, Malaysia, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Travel Photo Thursday | 18 comments

Sunset Shots

Who doesn’t love to capture jaw-dropping sunset shots? Welcome to week 336 (7/13/2017) of Travel Photo Thursday. I am in the midst of purging, shipping, and selling seventeen years of my life as Indy and I get ready to make the move back to Canada on August 8th. Please enjoy a few of the amazing sunset shots I’ve taken in my travels over the years.