Circling Around Gyeongpo Lake (part 3)

I think we're reaching 4.5 km towards the end of the lane or the very spot where we started pedaling this bike. We're taking a rest (again) to enjoy the moment.  

I kind of envied those who live near the lake for they must be able to do jogging, cycling, or exercising around this lake on a daily basis.  

Or those having private cars must have been able to enjoy 'cruising' or 'driving' around the lake, as seen on the pic. 

Yes..this was pretty much what we could see when we circled around the lake. Pedestrian lane and bike lanes were separated. Oh, anyone notice the white branched-tree over there? 

Or over there? At first, I thought they were real. But..then..they're actually not. They're lamps or bulbs attached onto the branches to be lit up at nights.^^ 

Now..let's take a pic again....before continuing our ride heading towards the finish line: 1.5 km to go.

Gyeongpo Lake (part 6)

As we kept on walking around the lake, we found more and more flora too beautiful to just pass them by.^^ 

Still in the tranquil morning at the lake: I started to capture the natural beauty.

Of course, the lenses cannot capture the real essence of its charms. 

A drop of water or dew hanging on the tip of this purple flower captured my attention. It's really a sight to behold. 

Color after color of nature began to emerge and be exposed onto our eyes and senses. Never thought that this is summer. Or...was it just me who never realized that summer could be this dazzlingly stimulating? 

Yes..and all of these...I found just in a mere few meter radius from where we walked. 

Then...wild bushes that sprouted along the lake were additional beauty to the landscape. 

If we look at the lake's surrounding we wouldn't be able to closely admire the beauty, yet..if we stop and then look into every corner of the lake...we'd find those natural wonders around us.

Gyeongpo Lake (part 4)

In the wee early morning of August 17, 2014, we're in the middle of mist-covered lake. Was it because the sun's not shining as it should have been? Dunno. One thing for sure, the lake? if I got to describe it, for its sheer beauty, we couldn't ask for more, i.e. that is...as long as we arrive there early in the morning.^^ 

No one else was around. Just us.

There're these binoculars(?) that we could use free of charge to closely sample the majestic view of the lake in the morning.

Eyra and Freya took turn in using them. 

It's Freya's turn..and yes..I could see that she pretty much enjoyed the fun she got. 

These two little girls were preoccupied with the landscape. No..from what I overheard of their conversation, they'd been trying hard to locate the DUCKS!!! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 

Even Freya got to tilt her feet so as to be able to use the binoculars. 

As for their Mom, she's alone...admiring another section of the lake.

Gee..it's indeed a serene feeling...being there alone.

Gyeongpo Lake (part 1)

A serene Gyeongpo lake. It's about 6.30 a.m. in the morning (August 17,2014). 

This lake is located just a few meters away from the beach! 

Yes..it's true.^^

A tranquil lake. I wish I could take the fresh air from this lake out...and bring it to Seoul.^^ 

A calm feeling overtook me. 

As I walked into its boundaries, I was perplexed and awed at the same time by 

the lake's simplicity. 

Couldn't let go my camera off the wild flowers that dotted the whole lake 

as far as I could see. 

In fact, they're just summer shrubs,but they are quite indispensable to the natural beauty of Gyeongpo lake. 

Eyra, too, suddenly awaken to the smell and senses of the lake.

Not like the one we usually see on a daily basis, right, Dear? 

It's one of those simple lakes that need to be enjoyed with an open mind. 

And why is that? because buildings sprung up out of the surroundings that actually obstruct the natural beauty. 

Yet, if we just know how and where to look to fully enjoy this lake, we'll find endless possibilities of wonders.

LIKE THIS ONE.^^

Gangneung Trip (part 13)

We tried to see the sunrise. BUT????^-^

Clouds were hanging over the eastern horizon of the sea. 

It's not even 6 a.m. I guess we'd expected too much. Or the Lady of Luck did not greet us that morning.^^ 

But, still, we admired the view and thanked God for being able to be there. I mean..it's not everyday that we could see the view like this in Seoul. right? ^^ 

Even when the sky and clouds were sulkily grey, we did not complain a bit. Instead, we just cherished that the day would be a cooler day for us to get around. 

And we're right. The whole day was a perfect day for a day-outing @ Korea's eastern coast. (see later entries^^) 

Now, back to Eyra and Freya: They're happy enough to be there with us.

*Spending One Morning @ seaside* 

Good Morning, Eyra.  

A panoramic view of the sea. 

A harbor near Gyeongpo seen from the arched bridge in the morning.

Not many activities were seen that early.

It looked like we're the first group of people coming to the beach.^^ 

Oh, did I mention that there were numerous 'swings' available for public use. It's an additional touch to give a different way of enjoying the beach. 

It's located just near the road so as to entice people to stop and enjoy the view for a moment or two. 

너무 아침 일찍이라서인지 탈의실을 사용한 사람이 없었네.

알고보니....수영은 9시부터 가능한대요..ㅋㅋㅋ. 

That's why I didn't see anyone around. 

This is the real location of the 'swing'. It's located just in front of the under-construction Hyundai Hotel @ Gyeongpo Beach. 

Then...we're showing off our fun with the stone rocks.

Gangneung Trip (part 12)

It's time to go to bed, but still the thought of sleeping at this rather expensive pension seemed to be the least expected thing to do.  

We just wanted to go onto the veranda and enjoy the rest of the night gazing the beach far beyond. But...we slept soundly eventually.

********

THE NEXT MORNING.... 

We woke up at 5 ..hoping to get a glimpse of the sunrise from the east coast. 

The kids, surprisingly, woke up early, too.

and we're ready to see the sunrise.

Gangneung Trip (part 11)

This is our pension where we stayed for one night. Yup, we got to go through the darkness to reach into the place.^^ 

Santa Beach (산타비치) Pension is the name. It's almost 9 and we just got back from the beach^^Freya's still wearing her swimming cap and Eyra's clad in her towel. 

The reason we chose to stay in this place was its warmth atmosphere from the outside, not to mention that it is not from within, though. 

I mean, from the moment we laid our eyes on the pension via its website, we decided to book the place. And yes...in reality it lived up to what we saw on the net. 

Or was it because, we lived in a normal apartment that most people in Korea live in? that as soon as we laid our eyes on some place like this, without hesitation, our mind did the trick of 'wanting' to BE in the place like this? hmm I guess so. 

But..boy..we didn't regret booking this pension for our long-weekend 

getaway @ Gangneung. 

Uncountable clicks from our phones became the testimony of how we liked being there. 

In turn, we took turn to take some pictures. Oh, there's a secret as to how we achieved a rather-somewhat-close to the real atmosphere as seen in this picture. 

Since none of us were using DSLR, we exposed our face with the lights from the smartphone.  

In this picture, we asked Ulfa auntie to expose the lights onto our face so as to brighten up our face which then made us visible in the picture.^^ 

ooops...Freya, you're yawning. I know dear...it's late. 

Now, it's Mama and om Wawan's turn. 

Then, our turn. * We got help from the incoming lights of a car entering the parking lot^^ 

As for this one, this was using a natural light.

All in all, we kept on clicking the camera to 'capture' the moment and the real atmosphere of the pension's front facade.