Spring @ Yeouido Park& Hangang Park (part 2)

Sunday, April 6, 2014. 

The man-made creek overflowing into the Han river is one of the must-see facilities around Hangang Park @ Yeouido. 

With never-stop-changing business district as its background, this facility is a famous spot for blue & white-collar workers as well as commoners, including visitors visiting the Manhattan of Seoul--Yeouido, be it in Spring or in Summer--which comes sooner.^^ 

The freshly inviting clear water seemed to lure tired feet to plunge into it. 

and why NOT? 

As for the kids, they preferred to keep on cycling their bikes along the riverbank. Gosh..I couldn't stop admiring the BLUE sky above. What a day! 

Far beyond, with zoomed in feature, we could see some people indeed were coming closer to the river to check what it must've felt like being there with the rather-cold wind so strong--at that time--that I myself wouldn't dare being there, especially with the kids tagging along. 

What about taking some picnic on spread-out lawn that stretches along the riverbank? 

Why not? Lots of people DID! 

Hangang with its numerous bridges over it ...is a perfect blend of nature and technology that captures the essence of Seoul: Seoul would be No-SOUL without it. 

An arched-building beyond is a riverbank outdoor stage where weekly performances are held--so I learned. Though never watched or been there myself. 

Take a pose... 

and...Have a great day, kids. I am sure you did enjoy your weekend at the park.

*Remember this moment as you are growing.*

That's why I am always writing down all of the activities we do together.

It's part of our diary.

Hangang again

 Sunset over us. Sunset overshadowed the bridges across Hangang River. The silhouette of evening darkness set in.
...it was like ....a call for all of us to churn in the moment....
(gosh..what am I rambling about here?:)

First thing first...

we were all gleefully excited of being there.

The whole family wrapped up the trip with the last few pictures with the bikes we rented. ^^

our friend, Wawan and Ulfa (his wife), Wulan (my student) and of course my family were all taking time to share the moment of happiness right at the River bank.

Now, I got to ask someone passing by .....to take the picture of us (including me) for sure. 

What would an evening be without each moment passing by being counted. It all came down to this: the simple happiness gleaming upon my daughters' faces was more than enough to tell that the whole afternoon was well spent.^^

More than that, it was all the shared moment that counts. (that's what some would say)

But, for me, apart from that, fulfilling the promise I made myself .....(like putting my own personal things aside and let others know that I cared about them) was more than what this trip was all about.

Yippeee We Loved It!!!

Picnic @ Ttukseom

OK. This is the bigger picture of what I was talking about in my entry. The tube gallery underneath the crisscrossing highways is the main attraction that one would encounter upon entering the resort. Wait! Resort here does not necessarily mean something of expensive stuffs. Instead, it was just a term referring to some venue where leisure takes place, as simple as that-----and what's more? it's free.

We just laid out a blanket or a mat to start the picnic. See the people behind us? couples, family, friends, and the likes were all packed in the park to enjoy the day.

I guess it was about 4 pm. Since the sun set at around 7.30 or so...it pretty much said it. It was a good thing that it was still early summer so the sun was not that....hot.  It's warm, instead.

What we ate during the picnic? We made ourselves some pastries and cakes + beverages.  

I think this could be one of the best ways to spend some afternoon.

The kids loved it. 

In fact, they could not stop playing around in the park. ^^

Oh, one more thing: the reason as to why we went there in the first place was that it was Children's Day -- a holiday in Korea!. Too bad, it fell on Saturday. If only it'd been on Monday or any other weekdays^^ It would've been much nicer, though. Anyway, since it was a national holiday, lots of people were cramming into the subways to enjoy the holiday. ^^ 

May 5 is 어린이날  or Children's Day.

PIcnic under the Highway^^

That's what I sort of figured out as soon as I got off the subway and embarked on an 'afternoon journey' at Ttukseom. It really was, indeed. How could I ignore the fact that the mere Ttukseom existence was indeed right under the intersecting bridges and highways crisscrossing over us. ^^ But, that's the reason why this is so popular.

Just think! When the beautiful park that city dwellers badly need is available within reach! When the soothing river bank atmosphere is right within your palm! This is exactly what this Ttukseom resort offers to Seoulites and -- of course-- its visitors.

We got a glimpse of what it looks like. See the apartment as well as the roads/highways at the back? they pretty much summed up what this place looked like. But, don't underestimate the fact that this place offers lots of activities!

Parks full of flowers? check! Riding on bikes? check! Jogging on never-ending tracks? check! 

the tube gallery right above us symbolizes the modern touch that Ttukseom resort has to offer. The natural beauty mixed with the splendor of modernity is exposed right here. It sure was a nice spot to hang out and spend an afternoon. 

Ttukseom Resort

In the last few days of Spring or in the early days of Summer, we went out to Ttukseom resort or 뚝섬원산지 or that's how it is called, if I'm not mistaken. The thing was that..I wanted to take my kids to Hangang river bank while taking a walk or riding a bike along the riverbank. That's the idea.

Then, we took the subway line 7 to get there. It took about 35 minutes or so from our home to reach the destination....plus..additional 3 more stations of subways to change lines ( : dubbed as being the hardest part of getting there). 

It was a good thing that the day was nice. warm despite its being windy. The first notion that struck me was that...this resort was actually a place under the highway or toll roads intermingled or crisscrossing over it. What a way to spend the day, then. But, was it worth-it? You bet, it was.

While walking through the so-called tube where lots of exhibits were on display. The cultural and historical facades of Seoul and its vicinity were on display for visitors to enjoy and learn. 

The Hangang and its Gangnam area visible from where I was standing at Ttukseom resort that day. The afternoon sunlight was briskly shimmering over the river. The reflection on its surface was somewhat cooling off my feeling, though. 

Bike Bike Biking @ Youido Park & Hangang

What could be more tempting than......enjoying the coming of Spring with friends ...OUTDOOR! yes!. for someone who comes from a tropical country like me,....the idea of going outdoor in the Spring was like an idea too good to waive. I won't let that chance slip away. That was exactly what I did, or we did to be precise.

Having a slice or two: donuts! that our teacher bought for us.

The whole class came out to the park just to enjoy the beautiful Spring and sun light-studded (?) ^^ --I know there is no such thing as a sun-studded (imagine: star-studded) term..^^ 

But, the mere idea of being exposed to the sunlight alone...was more than enough to make me gleefully smiling and cheerful.

So were my friends.

(intermezzo: I snapped a cool sight of this child-cart. Well, that's how I describe it. As many as 6 children clad or somewhat thrown into a small cart--that was physically pushed by a woman. What a ride, indeed. 

The time came for us to just relax, have some donuts, and do nothing but play.  The office or business complex at the back was the most likely sight that we would encounter in Youido (the so-called Manhattan of Seoul). Well, it is actually a small island in the middle of Han River. How cool is that. 

Then, off we went to take a stroll along the park and off we went to a bike rental where we decided to spend the rest of the day ...biking. It cost us only 3000 Won for one-hour ride along the whole area of Youido and Hangang Area. 

So...here are my classmates with their own bikes. Some are tandem bikes that we can share with others.  Since I was the one taking the pic.......automatically I am only immortally captured as the man behind the camera. ^^ (figuratively speaking: the memory creator!!)

We were at the Riverside. Han Riverside bike lanes that dotted the river. Seoul government has been successful in maintaining the preservation of the Han river as one of the main attractions for its local community and foreigners alike. I was easily absorbed into the modesty, yet the functionality of the bike lanes as well as other facilities provided along the riverbank. 

Igyeol, Martha, Jennely, and me....!

Igyeol, Marta, Jennely, Chanmi, & Jon-gi ssi.^^ some of my 6B classmates

I think it was one of the floating theater and public spaces that were scattered along the riverbanks. Never been there, though. But, nice to try, though. 

Since it was not a holiday, in fact...it was Friday morning. So, most people were working and ...us? we were enjoying the early Spring in Han river. What could be more exciting than that? Han river was persistently and somewhat calmly flowing dashingly along the course of Seoul. Beyond ( if you could see it) is....a Seoul Tower, barely visible at the back.

me & Chanmi. Just realized that we were riding the same color bikes. 

Then, this was the opposite scenery of the river. See the Sakura flowers at the back. That was the very place where I went to the other day. 

Another spectacle along the river. The lonely barren tree (well, wait till it is fully grown with leaves on it). I guess it would look just fine. But, as for now, the tree had to be quite contented with what it got: budding leaves.

Another sight from the Han River. Office buildings built in the midst of open space and parks were the typical sight in Youido business district. Well, no wonder lots of companies set up their branches or headquarters right in the heart of this complex.

This is the bike lane that I was writing about. See the course? We can follow this seemingly never-ending courses along the river and end up ourselves outside Seoul. True. So, we can just bike ourselves and enjoy the endless possibilities that the Han river has to offer.

 

Oh, I should have put this picture in the middle of this entry:) ^^ well, simple really. I got to put this picture right here because there is our Lee Young-Ju sonsaengnim, who also took a bike with her.  Can you spot & guess which one?

This is awesome. We were making a circle with our bikes. we were like...going round and round so as to make us dizzy. No, just to make the fun of biking.--that's all. 

On our way back home to the Park where we rented the bike. I think it was 10 minutes or so before we got to have the bikes returned...or else...we would need to pay additional 500 won per additional 10 minutes or so. ^^ what a system. :)

But...we still managed to take a picture, anyway. Aha!

That's why we were rushing^^