This past week we finally got around to doing some more exploring! We have been to Nami Island before, but it was without children. Click here to see my post about our day trip to Nami in the fall.
Going to Nami with the G and A didn’t change much. We took the ferry rather than the zip line to the island and walked rather than biked around (which you can do with kids, we just chose to walk). We dressed in double and triple layers for this trip and it still was cold sometimes. I learned not to forget A's snow pants and she needs daddy's wool socks on her hands. She was sooo cold by the evening, poor thing. The temperatures this year are so chilling.
The island has a snow machine where they made their own big pile to slide down. it was a small section of a winter wonderland and made everything feel more magical. The Babe and G took turns sliding down the small hill on their behinds. We haven’t had much snow this year, so it was fun to see some. The kids were so excited. I can see how Nami covered in snow might actually feel like Narnia.
We grabbed some lunch at one of the handful of restaurants. I was surprised it actually tasted pretty good. I feel like pasta is a hit or miss in Korea. So I was excited to feel warm AND satisfied. This pasta bread bowl was enough for The Babe and I to share. The kids are picky, so they ate sandwiches I brought and got Pororo drinks from the counter.
There are enough restaurants and a variety of them to keep hungry visitors satisfied. They also have a lay of street food like sausage, steamed buns with red bean paste, churros and more. The steamed buns are among our favorites. It might sound odd to eat red bean paste if it's something you're not used to or have never tried. I challenge you to try it. It's delicious.
We spent a couple hours exploring with the kids and enjoying being away from the city. We rang the bell and made a wish, chased some bunnies and crossed bridges over ice and snow. We didn’t get to see the whole island since we have four little legs following us around, but it was perfect. We have seen it all before anyway, so this trip was mostly to let them experience Nami’s magic and breath some fresh air.
It was so fun to see the fountains, the river and waterfalls iced over in layers. The kiddos loved seeing the frozen water.
The fire pits they have placed around the island gave it a cozy feel against the frigid backdrop of the bare mountains and naked trees; offering a bit of warmth and glow.
Soon we decided to head back to the main land on the ferry. We said goodbye to the island (the kids literally did, which was adorably silly) and warmed up in the car on the way to The Garden of The Morning Calm.
The drive to the garden was so calming. Nestled in the deep hills and valleys of the mountains amidst steep and winding roads I felt more comfortable and at home. Since moving to the city we find ourselves more and more drawn to mountain life and it felt good to be there.
The price was a little more than we expected, but once we made our rounds we felt it was justified. The lights we so amazing!
Pictures don’t do it justice. I don’t know when they start to work on the lights, but I can imagine it takes weeks. The tunnels were The Babe and A‘s favorite. G loved the dinosaur and I couldn’t find a favorite. I loved it all.
Everywhere we went I felt like I was plunged into a different world. At the top of the hill I felt like I was underwater or in Avatar at night when everything seems electric and glowing.
At the bottom of the hill we found ourselves in a world of twinkling colors as every inch was covered in lights. Holiday lights are my family’s tradition and it’s hard to keep that tradition alive here in Korea. The lights in the states are more common where as here you have to drive to find them. But it was so worth it. Even The Babe was impressed and that’s saying something.
We explored around for an hour or so until we saw it all and then made our way to the food stalls at the entrance for a makeshift dinner of corn dogs, ice cream and hot chocolate. It was about 25°F with a wind chill and we were all frozen at this point despite our layers. So we ate our dinner in the car with the heat on full blast. Once we thawed we settled in for the long drive home totally satisfied with our final adventure Of 2021.
Happy New Year, everyone!