Anniversary Weekend: Gwangju.

For the second part of our anniversary weekend, Doug and I stayed in Gwangju, a city in the South West of Korea.  We were lucky that there was no rain during the weekend, but it was sweltering hot.  Because of the heat, we tried to stay cool as much as possible by enjoying our meals slowly and stopping for lots of coffee breaks.  Doug found a really nice Italian restaurant called Bottle.  The flavors in the pasta were so fresh and delicious.  We loved it so much that we ate there twice in two days!

Night 1: The food was so good that we didn't even think to take pictures until after we were finished.  The food was great, the drinks were refreshing, and the atmosphere was so relaxing.  I think I'm glad this place isn't in Cheonan or I would be wanting to eat there all the time!

Day 2: We ate there for lunch before heading back to Cheonan.  Doug couldn't stop thinking about the burger after he saw it on the menu the night before.  See how there are only two fries on his plate?  They've really got portion control down here!  I got seafood pasta with a tomato sauce (yes, I ate seafood - it was too good to pass up!). 

After lunch we had some time to kill before catching our train but didn't want to walk around in the heat.  Also, I wore black skinny jeans that day which was the worst decision of my life.  We noticed a dog cafe across the street from Bottle and I convinced Doug to go with me. This cafe was a lot cleaner than the  one we went to in Cheonan, but the dogs weren't that interested in being around you.  From the photos you can get a glimpse of how to accessorize your dog in Korea.

Anniversary weekend: Wolchulsan.

Last weekend, Doug planned a trip for our anniversary and wouldn't tell me a word about it.  He has been planning this trip for weeks and I have been so anxious to find out where we would be going. He even typed up an itinerary for different options of activities so we could chose depending on the weather and what we felt like doing.  He is the best :)

Saturday morning we decided to hike Wolchulsan.  It is super hot and humid in Korea right now, but we really wanted to see the cloud bridge, which spans two peaks of the mountain and connects the trail together.  So we set out at around eight in the morning trying to beat the heat.  

Here I am at the trail head.  About two minutes after this I was already drenched in sweat.  

The beginning of the hike had bamboo trees lining the trail and tons of birds singing.  I know this sounds stupid, but it reminded me of Disneyland with the bamboo, birds, and misty humidity.

Here is where the trail split.  We followed the lanterns, which led to a temple and eventually the bridge.

Notice all that sweat?  Honestly, I don't think have ever sweated like that before and I hope I never do again.  The hike wasn't that long but was really steep.  Here we took a water break and rested on some rocks.

Finally at the end!

I love that Korea always has little pagoda things for shade when you reach the end of a trail.

The cloud bridge.  Totally worth it.

The above and below pictures are looking down while on the bridge.

On our way back down with the bridge over top of us.

After, we stopped at a little restaurant and I got some ramen and Doug got a fried pork cutlet, called donkatsu.  The ramen was doctored up with fresh vegetables and seasoning.  Delish after a hike.

On our way back into town we saw a group of hikers about to set out.  Notice how all the other hikers in the previous pictures are covered from head to toe? Notice how we are not?  I thought they just didn't want to get tan since Koreans like having light skin.  Well, I'm pretty sure it has to do with the mosquitoes since my legs are still covered with huge itchy bites.  But even with the mosquitoes, it was a breathtaking hike and something so unique to Korea.  I loved having this experience with Doug.

Summer days.

Lately, we haven't been up to much.  Ever since we started teaching at a school on Saturdays, our idea of a perfect weekend is relaxing and setting the plans as the day goes on.  Next weekend we do plan to get out a bit more.  But for now, we are enjoying restful weekends.  Here are a couple recent photos:

 

We been cuddling a lot with Pippa.  She is such a bean bag and can fall asleep in any position.

 

Last weekend we had a spontaneous date night that was really great.  We went to our favorite bar for drinks and then afterward went to the only really authentic Italian restaurant in Cheonan and shared a pizza and a salad.  I think we are going to have to have more impromptu dates from now on!

A long-term state of mind.

I think it's time for another countdown post.  We will officially be home in only 102 days!  102 days, can you believe it?!  Just yesterday I was thinking about coming home and the actual day that we will be leaving Korea and on the plane to LA.  I got butterflies in my stomach.  It was weird because I also was remembering when we left Spain and my feelings at that time.  When I left Spain, I was excited to come home (especially since it was the holidays!) and to see my family, but it was also bittersweet.  We both fell in love with everything about Spain.  The fact that we were so passionate about learning Spanish also made leaving the country hard because I knew I may never have the opportunity again to be fully immersed in a Spanish speaking culture.  Plus, I got to see Doug everyday in Spain, which was way better than a few times a month like during the school year.  And I was returning to UCLA, which was a lot more difficult than my studies in Granada.  Maybe something had to do with that, too ;)

But leaving Korea will be a lot different.  And that feeling doesn't mean I don't like it here-I know I will have moments when I miss Korea-but the circumstance is just completely different.  I think because so much has changed in our lives in this past year and we are excited to share that with our family and friends.  Maybe it is also because returning home means starting an exciting new chapter in our lives rather than returning back into our routines.  I feel like we will officially be starting our life together: getting an apartment, unpacking our stuff, decorating, getting a car, etc.  This past year (more like the past five years with school and moving around so much) has felt so temporary and being in a long-term place sounds so refreshing. I can't wait to actually live in a place for more than two years.  It'll be so exciting coming home after our first year of marriage and getting to start an awesome second year together with our families and friends so close by...

102 more days!!