A Babymoon in Gyeongju: A Mother-Daughter Trip
Today is the last day of my babymoon trip to Gyeongju!
I woke up, quickly got ready, and rushed to breakfast.
Similar to yesterday, breakfast was a reservation-based system.
I had seen it in a blog review and was looking forward to the abalone porridge...!!
Abalone porridge for breakfast, the specialty of Ijegyeongju!
Honestly, I'd been eating so much throughout the trip that I didn't feel hungry this morning.
I thought I wouldn't be able to eat much, but my mom and I ate every last bite.
It was a little cumbersome constantly asking for kimchi refills, but the breakfast was really good.
It felt like a nice way to start the day, and it tasted great!
The rich flavor of the abalone porridge...!!
Ijegyeongju really puts a lot of effort into the small details.
Of course, there were some disappointing aspects.
Compared to the concept and price, the maintenance wasn't great.
It's unrealistic to expect the service or cleanliness of a large chain hotel for the price.
Maybe it was because of the season I visited, but when I first arrived at Ijegyeongju, I couldn't find the entrance.
I ended up walking past the pool, which was obviously closed and empty.
It didn't look clean at all...it didn't feel maintained.
The area used to be bustling with student travelers, but now it was very quiet.
It might be different during peak season, but I felt a sense of loneliness and even a slightly eerie vibe in the neighborhood, which was a shame.
This trip made me realize how charming Gyeongju is.
I believe that if tourists from all over the world followed my itinerary, they would have a wonderful and memorable trip.
However, I was saddened that the tourism infrastructure near Bulguksa Temple seemed to have declined.
But taxi drivers told me that Gyeongju is crazy popular in the spring.
If I had come a week or two later, there would have been long waits everywhere and it would have been difficult to get around...!!!
Yes, everyone must know how charming this city is...!!!!!
Anyway, after breakfast, we checked out and searched for a cafe, but most places were closed because it was early morning.
I had hoped they'd be open, but almost none were, so we just walked around as morning exercise!
The cats at a cafe we passed looked so relaxed, which was lovely.
After searching with my mom, we found Naeryusa Coffee!
It's a huge cafe with a well-divided interior.
There's a stream inside, and the view from outside would be amazing on a nice day!
We ordered Einspanner and ice cream with bread on top (I can't remember the name..^^!).
Both the bread and coffee were delicious (even though I was full at the time...!).
There was a big teddy bear, so I took some pictures of my mom...!
Sometimes I think my mom is like a lovely, young girl.
She looks so beautiful smiling brightly in the photos, and I feel good when I take nice pictures of her.
These days, my phone keeps reminding me with the 'Time Travel to Today a Year Ago' notification.
Seeing those past memories makes me happy, and I hope my mom has those little moments of joy too.
After getting coffee at the cafe, we took a taxi to lunch........
I had saved it on Naver Map as a restaurant, but the exterior looked unfamiliar, and I wondered why I had saved it.
But after searching again, I realized it was the real deal...!
The way we got there was hilarious.
We took a taxi from Bulguksa Temple, and I told the driver, 'Please take us to Taejong-ro in Gyeongju! We're going to a restaurant called Ondongnae!'
The driver said,
'Oh?! I'm going there for lunch too, perfect!'
I thought he was joking at first, but he was serious lol.
While we were eating at Ondongnae, the taxi driver parked his car and came in to eat a plate of Korean home-style meal. lol
The owners of Ondongnae said that he is a regular customer who comes almost every day!
To me, they looked like close brothers.
It was nice to see them sharing their daily lives, calling each other 'hyung' (older brother) and 'hyeongsu' (older brother's wife).
My mom and I had hairtail stew (Galchi Jjigae), and I miss that spicy flavor so much.
Even the water I drank there tasted great (the owner was proud of the water!).
The side dishes were arranged neatly, and the main dish, the hairtail stew, was better than any buffet.
It was so delicious, but the mudfish soup (Chueo-tang) that the customer next to us ordered looked delicious too, so my mom said she wants to try that next time.
I could feel the owner's pride while we were eating.
I wish there were more restaurants like this.
Where people can be proud of the food they make and enjoy running their own business beyond just making money!
I could feel it just by looking at the owners.
The owner even taught my mom how to make the sauce for the hairtail stew, but laziness....has made that memory fade..........
Anyway, Ondongnae is a highly recommended restaurant by a local in Gyeongju!
After lunch, we strolled to Hwangridan-gil, bought Choi Young Hwa Bread and a bottle of makgeolli (rice wine), and headed out for our second coffee of the day.
This was also a very famous cafe in Gyeongju.
It took so long for the coffee to come out that I got tired of waiting, so even though the coffee tasted special, it didn't leave a big impression.
Cafe au lait is famous here, but if I go again, I want to try the flanel drip coffee.
The cafe is in Hwangridan-gil, so it's very accessible.
And finally, we walked through Hwangridan-gil one last time.
And that ended our 2-night, 3-day trip to Gyeongju.
Hwangridan-gil, I can see roasted corn snack on the side..?!
I trusted that I had been to Gyeongju with my husband last year, so I didn't have any special plans for this trip.
I thought it would be nice to just go to the places I went to last time?! and it was really great.
Are you planning a mother-daughter trip?
I highly recommend Gyeongju!
The food is perfect.
You will feel like you're getting away from your daily life.
There are many places to visit.
There are plenty of places to take pictures of your mom!
However, it's a good idea to think about how you're going to travel from one spot to another.
Our taxi fares were enormous.
It's more efficient to plan your route carefully or rent a car and drive around!
I enjoyed my trip to Gyeongju so much that I'm already excited about the thought of another domestic trip, whenever that may be.
The End!
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