Suwon
Today, we’d be heading to the outskirts of Seoul. We would be meeting up with another one of Suzy’s friends who agreed to show us around Suwon.
Many of the travel sites we looked at suggested a day trip out to this area to enjoy the well preserved city walls and the view from the top of the hill. When Suzy’s friend agreed to join us, we asked him to plan the day for us. We met him at a local bus stop, hopped on a southward bound bus for the 50 min drive to Suwon. The bus dropped us right in front of the Jangamun Gate which was super convenient.
Boyeong Dumplings
However before exploring the fortress, we stopped for lunch first. Suzy’s friend had looked up a popular noodle and dumpling place conveniently across the street from the gate. When we rounded the corner we were greeted with a line up (usually a good sign!). We put our names down and waited about 20 minutes before we were seated. Given the amount of people there, they were very efficient, taking our orders while waiting so the food would be ready for us when we sat down.
This was an amazing meal and a good departure from the Korean fare we’d be eating so far this trip. We each ordered an individual bowl of cold mixed noodles and a plate of fried dumplings and sushi to share.
It was super tasty and I would highly recommend this place for future visitors!
Hwaseong Fortress Walls
With our bellies filled, it was time to “walk the wall”. We hopped across the street paid the approximate $1 entrance fee and started walking. Our plan was to walk around the entire 6km wall with a part of it stretching to the top of Mt. Paldal. Along the way were multiple points of interests including defensive structures, gates and interesting historical points.
We took the walk quite leisurely but there is still an element of elevation on the walk, so if you go make sure you’re prepared for this. Though at the top, you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Suwon and also an appreciation of the fortress as well.
Throughout our time of walking along the wall, I kept thinking about just how defensible a fortress like this is. I was impressed that despite the beauty of this fortress, it was still a military installation and was just as lethal as it was pretty. I really enjoyed seeing this part of Korea, where it was a mix of nature and history and would highly recommend it to others.
As we walked down the other side of the mountain, you could see that the wall cuts through the city and we were back into the center of Suwon.
We took some time to walk through a few of the streets and even stopped for some desert!
Hwaseong Haenggung Palace
After a bit more walking, we found ourselves in a large open space and at one end, Hwaseong Haenggung Palace. This palace was a place that the king visited while travelling, during war or when visiting tombs in the mountain. We spent some time exploring the many pathways and rooms in this palace until it closed and we needed to exit.
Hwahongmun Gate
By the time we left the palace, the sun was starting to get low and we knew that wouldn’t be finishing the full wall walk today. However there was still one section of the wall that Suzy’s friend wanted to show us. So we walked along a small canal until we arrived at the Hwahongmun Gate. This was a part of the wall that allowed the Suwon river to cut through the wall. I’m thankful we saw this, especially during the winter with the river partially frozen.
There was an elevated watchtower near the gate. From there we had another great view of both sides of the wall.
With the sun setting, we made our way back to where we started, while also getting a chance to see the wall light up for the night.
We hopped back on the bus towards Seoul and within an hour we were back.
Kyochon
One of the things I hadn’t had yet was Korean fried chicken, and we thought it why not tonight. Given the time of day and our location, we settled on Kyochon which is a chain of Korean fried chicken stores. We ordered a few different items and feasted! I’m not sure if its because it was a chain, or if we ordered too many. I found that after a while it all started to blend together. If anything the first bites were great, but after the 10th piece of chicken, it got a bit excessive ha! Overall though it was tasty and I’m sure in small batches, very good!
After dinner, we said good bye to Suzy’s friend and made our way back to our airbnb to turn in. It was a full and satisfying day. We planned to visit the palaces tomorrow.