It was about 3:15PM when we left Woljeong Bridge but we’d return at 6PM to see the same bridge at night. The next stop was Daereungwon Royal Tomb and the Hwangnidan-Gil shopping street that was beside it, and this spot was a short 5 minutes away.
The Gyeongju Daereungwon Tomb Complex consists of several tombs, and is situated inside a beautifully landscaped garden. We didn’t really get a good sense of the individuals who were buried here, but the Koreans at least treat this garden with the utmost respect, and there is a air of serenity and revere as the locals walked about the compound. The burial mounds were bathed in the late afternoon light and made for some beautifully contrasty photos, like these below.
Adjacent to the Tomb Complex is Hwangnidan Street. Our tour group stopped here for an hour and a half: and we observed that most of the group finished the Tomb Complex in double-time, and spent most of the remaining time at Hwangnidan Street itself. Not surprising: the street is filled with cafes, snack shops, boutique shops and the like. Our guide recommended that we try out the town’s speciality: Gyeongju bread: the bread’s default fillings is red bean paste, but the one the missus got had mozarella cheese cheese as its filling. Either way, it was super yummy, with the cheese melting in the mouth. A little pricey at 3,500 won per piece, but it was delectable.
The two areas were quite a contrast: the serenity and almost sedate-like garden, versus the bustling and busy shopping street just next door. Pictures!
