First Full Day

 Once again I am writing this about a day behind the actual events mainly because there is too much to keep up with!

I briefly woke up the morning after the flight at 8am only to pass out until 11am. Disoriented, I got dressed and stumbled out the door to go out to lunch in the "Gangneung Byeongsan Dough Soup Alley." There are several, let's call them districts?, centered around a certain food. This is a needed export to the western world. There is also a Sundubu district for tofu based food. Lunch was an acorn jelly (dotori muk) salad and potato dumpling soup - gamja ongsimi guk. Gangneung is apparently well known for potatoes and it was apparent in the taste - very fresh and very wholesome.

Apparently Korean map applications have an object class dedicated to specific food areas.


Gamja Ongsimi

Acorn jelly salad with lettuce, chives, onion, cucumber and red chili sauce


After lunch we strolled through potato soup alley to a coffee shop while taking in the beautiful day. Many homes have attached gardens growing onions, potatoes, corn, goju peppers and lettuce. Farm to table is taken literally at restaurants. We drank coffee while listening to birds in-between the cacophony of Korean Air Force F-5's taking off, which made us wonder if it was in response to the North Korean rocket launch the day before. 


Garden outside the Gamja ongsimi restaurant 


Perfect place for sitting outside drinking coffee

We proceeded to the Sun Coffee cafe where  Hyeshin works to get an extra fix of caffeine and chat. To my surprise her cafe serves Medovnik!

Hyeshin giving the most Korean of greetings

I could spot a honey cake anywhere

After coffee we went to a local park that commemorates a famous poet. It was my first chance to break out the Canon and actually work at photos.  More on that later, I need to get ready to head out again.



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