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We’ve finally reached the final installment in the photo series from ISA’s Gyeongju excursion. This is a mixed bag including The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, Cheomseongdae Observatory, and the royal tomb of King Naemul (Silla). Previous Gyeongju posts: Part 1 - Seokguram Grotto 석굴암 Part 2 - Bulguksa Temple 블국사 Part 3 - Anapji Pond 안압지  Oh, and there’s also photos of pretty flowers from the area around the observatory and tomb. For those, I’ll be posting personal stories from the trip.

The final stop on our Gyeongju excursion was to Anapji Pond. I admit I’m jumping a bit here; there were a few stops in between Bulguksa and Anapji. However, I’m going to lump them together in the final and fourth post from this trip. Anapji was quite possibly my favourite stop on this excursion. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. Unlike Seokguram and Bulguksa, it wasn’t at all crowded. And, as our last stop, we were able to wander more leisurely.

Continuing with the photos from our one-day excursion to Gyeongju, the second stop was Bulguksa Temple. Bulguksa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seokguram is actually part of Bulguksa and the two were added to the list simultaneously. Click to view part one and photos from Seokguram Grotto 석굴암 In addition to being a World Heritage site, Bulguksa is home to many National Treasures. The temple was originally built in 528 during the Silla Dynasty, but did not get its current name until 774. Over the course of time the temple has undergone several reconstructions, the most recent having started in 1973. To read more about the history of Bulguksa see here or here . Now to the photos from our trip to 불국사 Bulguksa! ^^

It's taken me a long time to upload photos, eh? I think at first it was hard for me to look at them. I miss Korea and my friends a lot...getting back on topic... Today's is the first post of my photos from our second larger ISA excursion to 경주 Gyeongju. The first was to the DMZ and I'm not quite sure whether those will go up on this blog. Our second trip took us to Gyeongju located 4hrs (by bus) from Seoul in 경상북도 Gyeongsangbuk-do province. The drive there was pretty nice in a chartered bus, it was nice to see a bit of the countryside. Sometimes when you're in a large city, such as Seoul, you forget that there is more outside of the city. Walking to Seokguram  경주 was the capital of the Silla Dynasty and boasts many historic locations, some of which are now UNESCO World Heritage sites. If you are a history fan like me, this is a must-go! (here's a link to Gyeongju's guide website ) Also be sure to try the famous 경주빵 (Gyeongju bread). It's packed with ...