Hi Seoul Festival 2011

REBLOGGING from VISIT SEOUL

Hi Seoul Festival 2011

About

Venue

Yeouido Hangang Park & Downtown Seoul

Address

8 Yeongdeungpo-gu, Yeouido-dong, Seoul

Phone

02-3290-7150

Date(s)

2011-05-05 ~ 2011-05-10

Website

www.hiseoulfest.org

Overview

Hi Seoul Festival 2011
This year’s Hi Seoul Festival will be held for six days from May 5th – 10th at Yeouido Hangang Park and various locations in downtown Seoul.

The Hi Seoul Festival is one of the world's largest annual performing arts festivals with an average of 1.5 million people participating in the event annually. This year's festival theme will be a continuation of last year's theme of "Nonverbal Performances", a theme that promotes international unity by enabling people to communicate with one another through music and gestures, going beyond the barriers of language, race and age.

About 200 performances will be presented by 70 different groups and individuals from more than 10 countries including Canada, France, Australia, Brazil and Spain. Don’t miss out on Seoul’s most prominent cultural festival!

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Seoul's 100 Spring Flower Paths

REBLOGGING from VISIT SEOUL

Seoul's 100 Spring Flower Paths

Take a Stroll Along Seoul's 100 Spring Flower Paths!
Spring is finally here and what better time to take a stroll along some of “Seoul’s 100 Spring Flower Paths”! Enjoy over 160 km of flower-filled roadside paths, riverside paths and paths in parks.
“Seoul’s 100 spring flower paths,” includes 36 paths in parks such as North Seoul Dream Forest, Namsan Park, and World Cup Park, 29 roadside paths like Yeongdeungpo Yunjung Street, Gwangjin-gu Walkerhill Street, and Donjak-gu Sadang Street, and 31 riverside paths including Jungnang Stream and Anyang Stream.
The 100 spring flower paths have been grouped into five different themes. There are paths that are great for a spring outing, paths that are great for enjoying a variety of festivals, paths where you can appreciate unconventional flowers that you may not see every day, paths that are perfect for a leisurely drive, and paths that are suitable for brisk walking and exercise.

Perfect for a Spring Outing 1: Large Parks
For families and couples, the best places to go for a spring outing are the major parks located in Seoul. These parks are conveniently located near various means of transportation and offer various other activities to enjoy as well as food to snack on. Have a great time at parks such as North Seoul Dream Forest, Ttukseom Seoul Forest, and Sangam World Cup Park.
North Seoul Dream Forest
Yoshino Cherry trees line the main road in North Seoul Dream Forest, a gorgeous sight to see when they are in full bloom. The park also features thousands of colorful irises and wild flowers. It's a great place to have a picnic as well. Have a great picnic lunch on the grass lawn while enjoying cultural performances. 
Namsan (Mt.)
Namsan is covered with forsythias, azaleas and cherry blossoms. Try taking the cable car up to N Seoul Tower or stop by the traditional Hanok (Korean house) teahouse called Mongmyeoksanbang. No matter which path you wander down to enjoy the beautiful spring flowers, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll also have a wonderful view that overlooks the city.
Ttukseom Seoul Forest
You can also find Yoshino Cherry trees at Ttukseom Seoul Forest, but the interesting plants, flowers and insects that can be found in this park are the biggest draw here. The butterfly garden in particular is a must-see. The Seoul Green Trust's Spring Experience Program is also something you want to check out before you leave.

World Cup Park 
World Cup Park is spread out over a massive area, and therefore features a wide variety of flowers. It’s made up of five smaller parks including Pyeonghwa (“Peace”) Park where you’ll find rapeseed flowers and poppies, and Noeul (“Sunset”) Park with its large forsythia blossoms, irises, rapeseed flowers. If you'd like to stay in the park overnight, Noeul Park offers camping equipment that can be rented out for use on the camping grounds.


▲ Ttukseom Seoul Forest / World Cup Park


Children’s Grand Park
Children's Grand Park is famous for its Yoshino Cherry trees. When these cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, this place is possibly the most breathtaking park in Seoul. The park also features a zoo and an amusement park which are very popular with children.
Seoul Grand Park

Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon is also famous for its Yoshino Cherry trees and beautiful spring flower paths. But on top of beautiful scenary, the park is home to the Seoul Zoo, Seoul Land amusement park and the National Museum of Art. Seoul Racehorse Park is nearby as well, making Seoul Grand Park a complete package for family outings.

Perfect for a Spring Outing 2: Small Mountains and Parks in the City
Even though Seoul is a bustling city, there is a surprising amount of natural beauty amidst the chaos. The small mountains and parks located in the heart of the city make for a great spring outing. These places have great paths for taking a stroll and are usually surrounded by cultural spaces and restaurants. Among these, Naksan (Mt.), Seodaemun Ansan (Mt.) and Seokchon Lake (Songpanaru Park) are the most recommendable.
Naksan Park
Among the many walking trails in Naksan Park, the trail that goes along the edge of Seoul Seonggwak (Fortress Wall) is the prettiest in the spring when the forsythias are in full bloom. The scenic view of the city from Naksan (Mt.) is also very stunning, and weigela florida flowers can be seen in various parts of the park. The areas of Daehangno and Dongdaemun are nearby, great places to grab a bite to eat or catch a cultural performance.



▲ Seocho Azalea Ridge / Songpanaru Park / Hangang (River) Banpo Seoraeseom / Cheonggyecheon (Stream)


Seodaemun Office
The road behind Seodaemun Office that leads to Ansan (Mt.) is a great place to go for a walk or a bike ride. The path is lined with lovely cherry blossom trees and in the spring, the base of the mountain is completely covered with white blossoms. You can also visit the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History located nearby.
Seokchon Lake
There are always many people exercising or going for a stroll at Seokchon Lake, but the lake is the most popular in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. The park also features about 300,000 irises and wild flowers that make for a breathtaking sight. Lotte World amusement park is also located nearby, a popular place among children.

2. Scenic Drives
If you want to go for a scenic drive, the best roads for forsythias and azaleas would be Gamsawon-gil (Street) in Jongno-gu and Bukgak Skyway. For beautiful pink cherry blossoms, Jeungsan-no (Road) in Eunpyeong-gu, Gomdallae-gil (Street) in Gangseo-gu and Cherry Blossom Road in Geumcheon-gu are the most recommendable. 
Samcheong Park & Waryong Park
The cherry blossoms in Samcheong Park and Waryong Park are spectacular. The 2-laned road that begins at the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea building and leads up to Waryong Park is the most beautiful flower tree-lined road in Seoul. The road has been expanded to include a new walking trail, great for those who would prefer to enjoy the sights without a car. The neighborhoods of Samcheong-dong and Gahoe-dong are nearby and are great places to go for cultural events. The restaurants of Seongbuk-dong are also worth going to.


▲ Walkerhill Road / Yunjung-no (Road) in Yeongdeungpo-gu


Bugak Skyway
Bugak Skyway is the most beautiful driving route in Korea. Forsythias and azaleas flourish here, and with the neighborhoods of Seongbuk-dong, Buam-dong, and Sajik-dong nearby, it's easy to catch a cultural performancance or grab a bite to eat afterwards.
Gwanghwamun Square & Seoul Plaza
You can also enjoy a nice drive along the road that connects Gwanghwamun Square and Seoul Plaza. Called Sejongno (Street), this road is lined with cherry blossoms, perennial flowers and tulips.

3. Best Places to Go for Walking and Exercise
The flower paths along the Hangang (River) are the best places to go for a walk or exercise. Keep your body healthy and your mind at peace by visiting one of these paths. 

Hangang (River)
The Hangang (River) is Seoul's lifeline and it is also where you first see the signs of spring arriving in Seoul. The well-traveled bicycle paths and walking trails along the Hangang become colorfully adorned with rapeseed flowers and newly planted wild flowers. Needless to say a walk along the Hangang is a must in the spring. 
Jungnangcheon (Stream)
Another great path is the trail along the Jungangcheon (Stream) which flows through the districts of Seongdong-gu, Gwanjin-gu, Jungnang-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Dobong-gu. Here you can see cherry blossom trees, rapeseed flowers, roses, irises and a variety of other colorful flowers.
Others Worth Mentioning
Other recommended walking paths are along the Bulgwangcheon (Stream) that flows through Seodaemun-gu and Eunpyeong-gu, the Anyangcheon (Stream) that flows through Guro-gu, Yeongdeungpo-gu and Geumcheon-gu and the Yangjaecheon (Stream) that flows through Seocho-gu and Gangnam-gu. Cheonggyecheon (Stream), which flows through downtown Seoul and the trails in Namsan Park are also worth visiting.



▲ Samcheong Park in Jongno / Jeungsan-no (Road) in Eunpyeong-gu / Uicheon (Stream) in Gangbuk / Danghyeoncheon-no (Road) in Nowon

4. Places to See Exotic Flowers
Forsythias, cherry blossoms and azaleas are the most widely common spring flowers in Seoul, but here are some places where you can see some unconventional flowers. 
Irises
The place where the most irises can be found is the Seoul Iris Garden which features 300,000 plants over 52,417 square meters. As the name of the park suggests, a big part of the park is dedicated to irises, a total 130 different species to be exact. In addition to irises, the garden features wetlands flora, various medicinal plants and more.

Chinese Fringetree
You can see Chinese Fringetree blossoms along Cheonggyecheonno (Road) in downtown Seoul, Sadangno (Road in Dongjak-gu and Rodeo Street in Songpa-gu. Many Korean believe that these white flowers resemble puffs of cooked rice.


▲ Hyangdong Arboretum in Guro / Sinteuri Park in Yangcheon / Eungbongsan (Mt.) in Seongdong / Cherry Blossom Road in Geumcheon


Wildflowers 
You can see different types of wildflowers and herb plants at Sinteri Park in Yangcheon-gu, the Achasan (Mt.) pedestrian walkway in Gwangjin-gu, and the Herb Garden in Gangdong-gu.

Rapeseed Flowers

Whole fields of rapeseed flowers can be found at the Seoul Blue Arboretum in Guro-gu, the Hangang (River), the Anyangcheon (Stream) and the Jungnangcheon (Stream).
Pear Blossoms 
The best place to go to see pear blossoms would be the Jungnang-gu Weekend Farm which features 10,000 square meters of pear blossoms.

Roses
You can see roses at the rose garden near Seoul National University at the base of Gwanaksan (Mt.).

Herbs

The Herb Astronomy Park near Iljasan (Mt.) in Gangdong-gu features about 120 different varieties of herbs.

5. Spring Flower Festivals

If you want to enjoy a spring flower festival, head over to the Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival or the Namsan Cherry Blossom Festival, the two biggest flower festivals in the city.
Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival
The 7th Annual Hangang Yeouido Spring Flower Festival 2011 will be held from April 8th -19th. As part of the festival, the 4th Annual Various Integrated Arts Festival (VIAF) will also be held from April 13th - 17th.
For more information on this festival click here>>
Namsan Cherry Blossom Festival
The 4th Annual Namsan Cherry Blossom Festival 2011 will be held in April as well.



◆ Seoul's 100 Spring Flower Paths ◆

District	Seoul’s 100 Spring Flower Paths
Jongno-gu (6)	Gwanghwamun Square-Seoul Plaza (tulips, herbs), Bugak Skyway (forsythias, azaleas), Samcheong Park (cherry blossoms), Cheonggyecheonno (Chinese fringetree), Cheonggyecheon (bridalwreaths, Cornelian Cherry), Sajik Park (Lonicera Japonica)
Jung-gu (4)	Namsan Circular Road (cherry blossoms, azaleas), Pildong-gil (cherry blossoms), Supyodari-gil (Chinese fringetree), Son Keechung Sports Park (field poppies)
Yongsan-gu (1)	Seobinggo-ro (Chinese fringetree)
Seongdong-gu (5)	Eungbong Park (forsythias), Seoul Forest (cherry blossoms), Songjeongjebang (roses), Jungnangcheon (cannas, day lilies), Cheonggyecheon (forsythias)
Gwangjin-gu (4)	Children’s Grand Park (cherry blossoms), Achasan Pedestrian Walk (irises), Jungnangcheon (yellow rape flowers), Walkerhill-gil (cherry blossoms)
Dongdaemun-gu (1)	Park & Landscape Circular Road (cherry blossoms)
Jungnang-gu (6)	Sinnae Apt. Complex 8-11 (royal azaleas), Jungnangcheon Sports Park (irises), Jungnangcheon Jangmi-gil (roses) Jungnangcheon Beotkkot-gil (cherry blossoms), Mangusan (cherry blossoms), Weekend Farm (pear blossoms)
Seongbuk-gu (3)	Gaeunsan Park (royal azalea blossoms, cherry blossoms), Arirang-gogae (cherry blossoms, roses), Jungnangcheon (cherry blossoms, pansies)
Gangbuk-gu (2)	Dream Forest (cherry blossoms), Uicheon (cherry blossoms, forsythias)
Dobong-gu (4)	Seoul Changpowon (irises), Madeul-gil (cherry blossoms), Jungnangcheon (royal azaleas, yellow rape flowers), Uicheon (cherry blossoms)
Nowon-gu (3)	Uicheon (cherry blossoms), Danghyeoncheon (cherry blossoms), Ganchon Village Garo Park (royal azaleas)
Eunpyeong-gu (2)	Jungsan Jinheung-ro (cherry blossoms), Bulgwangcheon (cherry blossoms)
Seodaemun-gu (5)	Ansan (cherry blossoms, royal azaleas), Hongjecheon (forsythias, royal azaleas), Sinchon Myeongmul-geori (cherry blossoms), Namgajwa-dong Central Road (cherry blossoms), Bulgwangcheon (bridalwreaths)
Mapo-gu (6)	World Cup Park Green Plaza (yellow rape flowers), World Cup Park Metropolis-gil (field poppies), World Cup Park Iris Complex (irises), Dongmak 1 (il)-gil (cherry blossoms), Seongsan Park (acacia blossoms), Wau Park (cherry blossoms)
Yangcheon-gu (4)	Anyangcheon (cherry blossoms), Deungchon-ro (forsythias), Sinteuri Park (wild flowers), Dalmaeul Park (royal azaleas)
Gangseo-gu (5)	Ujangsan Park (apricot blossoms), Gungsan Park (azaleas, forsythias), Banghwa Park (cherry blossoms), Garo Park-gil (cherry blossoms), Gomdallae-gil (cherry blossoms)
Guro-gu (4)	Green Arboretum (yellow rape flowers), Anyangcheon Gocheokgyo (yellow rape flowers), Anyangcheon Sinjeonggyo (royal azaleas), Anyangcheon Jebang (cherry blossoms, royal azaleas)
Geumcheon-gu (2)	Beotkkotsimni-gil (cherry blossoms), Anyangcheon (cherry blossoms)
Yeongdeungpo-gu (3)	Yeouido Yunjung-ro (cherry blossoms), Singil 6 (yuk)-dong Beotkkot-gil (cherry blossoms), Anyangcheon (cherry blossoms)
Dongjak-gu (4)	Maebong-gil (cherry blossoms), Sadang-ro (Chinese fringetree, apricot flowers), Noryangjin Park (apricot flowers), Bondong Distributing Reservoir Park (royal azaleas, wild flowers)
Gwanak-gu (6)	Dorimcheon (cherry blossoms), Yangnyeong-ro (cherry blossoms), Bongcheon-ro (cherry blossoms), Nakseongdae-gil (cherry blossoms), Samyuk-gil (cherry blossoms), Way to Gwanaksan (royal azaleas)
Seocho-gu (6)	Hangang Seoraeseom (yellow rape flowers), Cheonggyesan Jindallaeneungseon (azaleas), Cheonggyesan Tokki Ongdalsam (royal azaleas), Umyeonsan (cherry blossoms), Yangjaecheon (forsythias, azaleas), Banpocheon (azaleas)
Gangnam-gu (2)	Yangjaedaero (forsythias), Yangjaecheon (forsythias)
Songpa-gu (8)	Seokchon Lake in Songpanaru Park (cherry blossoms, royal azaleas, irises, wild flowers), Ogeum Park (royal azaleas, forsythias), Seongnaecheon Dunchi (cherry blossoms), Tancheon (forsythias), Seongnaecheon (forsythias), Jangjicheon (forsythias), Rodeo Street (Chinese fringetree)
Gangdong-gu (3)	Bangadari-gil (Chinese fringetree), Garaeyeoul-gil (cherry blossoms), Herb Park (herbs like lavender)
Gwacheon-si (1)	Seoul Grand Park Sunhwan-ro (cherry blossoms)

My First FILIPOS Day: Yeouinaro Photowalk

I was overly excited and woke up at 6:00 AM. I checked the internet last night and it said that there's a train to Seoul at 7:18 AM. I had everything prepared, my memory card, spare SD card, my battery - well charged, lens and body - cleaned --- all set! I brought some oranges for breakfast in the train. ^^


I walked to the train station and only to find out that the next train schedule is at 8:10 AM! T___T" I was supposed to be at Singil Station by 9:00 AM in order to meet Kuya Marco and Kuya Mon, the two FILIPOS guys whom I met in the train yesterday. Since I couldn't make it, I called them up and asked for the exact train station where the club will meet up. So yeah, I'm gonna be late. T__T"




10:20AM YEOUINARO STATION EXIT 2
As I got out of exit 2, I saw a group of people with dslr's. "This must be the place then and they must be Pinoys", I thought. And when I got nearer, some of them were staring at me cos I had my slr over my neck and seemed to them like I was looking for one of them. They were right! Then I met Kuya Marco and Kuya Mon and they introduced me to the rest of the members. ^^ I met Tin, whom Kuya Marco thought was me (because of the long hair probably) and from then on, she became my best buddy in the club, my so-called long-lost-sister in Korea. Hahah... Tin is a Nursing Management graduate student in SNU and is already in her final year and has also been into photography. We talked as if we knew each other already and it was a lot of fun knowing each other and meeting other people in the club! A few minutes later, Krish, who was already a member of the club also arrived and introduced me to his two friends int he club. He's my batchmate in UST and we haven't seen each other since I arrived in Korea. So this is like our mini reunion and a sort of grand gathering with fellow Pinoy photographers for me!


We started our day with a prayer led by one of the leaders of the club, Kuya Nads. Then off we went to take photos of whatever we can. The theme of that day's photowalk was Macro Photography. Ok, I like macro photography but it's something I badly need to develop. So whatever happens, I'll just try to shoot whatever I can macro on as creatively as I can. LOL.


Tin is also addicted to coffee and she hasn't had breakfast yet. It was already past 12:00 PM and everyone was still busy taking photos! ^^ Though the place was still not in full bloom, there weren't so much cherry blossoms yet, it still looked beautiful and peaceful and I enjoyed taking random photos of passers-by, portraits of children rather than the macro theme. LOL.


There's a Ministop nearby and that's where all of us had lunch at past 1:00 PM already. Everybody sure was hungry! The group was gathered once again to announce the winners of the last photowalk's theme - Pre-nup Photography. Ate Janice was the winner and also the people's choice! Girls are ruling! ^^,


Tin and I decided to go home by 4:30 PM and I took the train to Jochiwon. By the time I reached Jochiwon, it was past 6:00 PM and I had enough time to buy some stuff at the market.


For the first time, I heard mass with Sue! We've been planning to hear mass together but our schedules hardly jammed. Finally, tonight was the night! Hahah! She's an undergraduate student in our department as well and I knew her through my professor who gave my number to her in order to contact me whenever she'd hear mass in Jochiwon. Sue has been one of my good friends since then and has been helping me with some Korean phrases! ^^,


Before heading to the bus stop, we bought some bread at Jong Man. It looked similar to Breadtalk and they have a quite a good selection of various pastries too! ^^, Dinner that night - pizza bread! ^^,