-
Start
-
Bears Town
-
Sansawon
-
Pocheon Dongjanggun Festival
-
Pocheon HanwooMaeul
-
Pocheon Art Valley
-
Hotel Nine
-
Harbor Coffee
-
Dasan Historic Site
-
Finish
Hotel Nine
On this trip, we planned to see two places, Pocheon and Namyangju. We pushed ourselves to see Pocheon area early in the morning and we’ll travel Namyangju tomorrow.
So we decided to stay at Hotel Nine close to Pocheon and Namyangju so that we can start the day early tomorrow.
When we got to the hotel, it was already 11 at night. We had no idea how the day would turn out that we didn’t make a reservation so we were kinda worried that there might be no room. Because there are few hotels or motels around Namyangju, most of them are pensions, so if there’s no room, we’d have to leave here and go to Guri.
Like we test our luck, we headed to the entrance to Hotel Nine. It says the hotel is one of Good Stay(www.goodstay.or.kr) hotels designated by Korea Tourism Organisation at the entrance.
As we made an inquiry, thank God they got the room. But they were out of special rooms because it was late at night and there was only one room left.
We asked for the special room and they said the only difference is the size of the room. It was late so we had no choice but to go up to the 6th floor to get to the last room left.
Hallway decorated with marble looked fancy. The lights were dark but anyways…all we need is a place to rest for tomorrow.
We finally got into the room. As we opened the door right pass the entrance, the space was kinda small but neat. They must’ve cleared the air because I didn’t smell any cigarettes so it was pretty clean.
The bathroom in the room was clean and the amenities in front of the mirror were standing in a line.
And the towels stacked up on the wall. One big towel and regular sized towels looked like a tower. I’m not proud of it but I tend to use a few towels when I take a shower so I loved this view.
Blue and pink gowns were packed and put on the table. These are actually not provided in regular rooms. I guess we’re offered special service?
Actually we got special service elsewhere. They must be sorry that they did not offer us a special room because one employee brought some drinks 10 minutes after we got to the room. Thanks~.
A pack of disposable products on the dressing table. And in the mini refrigerator under the table was filled with drinks and water bottles.
And various coffees on the table. There are four Dutch Coffees, which are expensive. It’s perfect for next morning.
Out the window, it was centre of downtown. We could see Lotte Cinema right in front of our eyes. Plus, all we’ve seen today were nature and low buildings in Pocheon so we were kinda glad to see those high buildings.
So we unpacked and went to a small coffee shop called Coffeejib Ohudusi(Coffee house, 2 o’clock in the afternoon) in front of the hotel. Unlike the name, it was around midnight so that it was about to close.
We could drink coffee in the room but we saved our money on hotel so we came here but the prices seemed reasonable than we expected.
So since we have a place to stay, we forgot how much we were shivering with cold during the day, we ordered cold blueberry yogurt. And as the last customers, we finished our drinks and went back to the hotel to sleep.
Map : link
Address : 1082-4, Geumgok-ri, Jinjeop-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
Telephone : 031-571-0630
Operating Hours : No holidays
Prices : Regular room 45,000 won(Weekends 50,000 won) / Special room 55,000 won(Weekends 60,000 won)
Praum Musical Instrument Museum
Finally the second day of our trip to Pocheon/Namyangju has started. We want to have a cheerful morning but the weather was not so great.
We have to get out of main streets and look around quiet places from now. And the first destination is quite far away so we had to hurry.
One hour on the bus from the hotel, we arrived at some place where Han River flows right in front. Then the people traveling on motorcycles were passing by making so much noise. I just…envy you people.
The reason we came all the way for one hour is because of this Praum Musical Instrument Museum.
My wife is majoring in music so she wanted to go here for once. Praum Musical Instrument Museum has two buildings, one for the museum and the other for the restaurant around Han Riverside.
This is a musical instrument museum that has various musical instruments displayed that is loved by people who’re interested in music or used as a field trip for kids who are curious about music.
As we get in the lobby, there were props related to music and orgels were covering the walls. This is an exhibition hall but there were small instruments on sale as well.
There are so many cute items as we took a closer look. This cute carousel orgel might be good for babies.
After buying the tickets at the lobby, we started tour from small hallway on the right. The first thing we saw is a chair with famous composers’ pictures like Beethoven and Mozart. Considering the visitors were taking pictures of this, it is a photo zone. However, it disturbs other people since it’s at the entrance.
In this big place, there were art pieces made by kids who have visited this place. Violins made with paper were impressive.
Especially there are many corners that help kids being interested in music or musical instruments. We could draw musical instruments on a table, which glows.
And you can stamp various musical instrument stamps or make them in this room. Or you could make various musical instruments in different shapes using lego in the Lego Room.
They won’t be able to make them delicately like Mozart or Beethoven on the walls but they seem to be enough to attract kids’ attention.
And the magic art paintings that used to be so popular once were hung on the walls as well. You could take interesting pictures using optical illusion.
Just like this. This place has an advantage that kids could learn music in an interesting way in this place where there are a few places that rouse kids' interests in music around the entrance.
Plus it has educational significance as it shows history of musical instruments or music as well. I’ve heard that’s why groups of children visit here quite often.
There’s well-organised lawn garden and Han River spreading out through the big window of the building. Unfortunately, this garden is not accessible from the museum since it belongs to the restaurant.
And there’s a comment regarding music on the glass as well. It’s conduction technique depending on beat.
There’s a suit for kids so that they can wear the suit, climb up the platform and conduct themselves.
There’s a piano that makes sound when you step on. It makes a big sound of piano whenever they step on them so when they do, it kinda makes quite a big noise which gives people headache sometimes.
We could play musical instruments on the glass walls starting from foot piano. Dozens of musical instruments including xylophone, piano, drum, and flute were displayed.
I know nothing about music but as I saw them that I only saw on TV, I wanted to beat once or twice with those kids.
Hand bell that each color makes different sound was the most interesting item for me since I think the bell sounds make people happy. Plus, it somehow reminds me of lunch bell.
There are complicated ones to play like drums or pianos but easily played percussion instruments from the world were most popular among kids.
If you enjoyed the instruments enough, it’s time to learn the history of them. I bet this museum has the biggest number of keyboard instruments.
In this main exhibition hall, there are so different shapes of pianos. But you cannot touch them unlike the ones in activity rooms.
My wife was like WOW every time she sees piano since she recognize them but I’m an alien, all I could say “wow this is two story keyboard piano~.”
Or “wow this is small. Wow this is made of woods,” and these are my only reaction. I guess the old saying that you can see as much as you know is right. According to her, there are quite many famous pianos displayed here.
There were rare pianos indeed. But I was sad that I could not recognise them because I am not familiar with the differences among them.
Not only it has old pianos, it also provides detailed explanations about the history and structures of pianos. Thankfully, I’ve read a book about it a few days ago that I was so happy whenever I see those words I know.
In the glass, there was an action model of grand piano with an explanation about how a piano can make a sound when a player touches the keyboard. It was enough for the kids and me who doesn’t know anything about it.
As you pass by the dozens of pianos watch them, the explanation ends and another explanation about different kinds of string instruments begins.
On the walls, there are common guitars like base, electronic and acoustic guitars as well as exotic ones.
This one is called harp zither that looks like ancient but it was the most beautiful among the string instruments that was used in Germany in the 1900s.
When the explanation about how to make sound with string instruments was about to end, another explanation about wind instruments that you make sound when you blow them with your mouth begins.
Danso(short bamboo flute) or recorder, a kind of wind instrument, was commonly used in school when we were young. But even if they are similar in shapes, there are so many categories depending on the shape or size.
Even flute, there are so different kinds of them making different sounds. Among them, the one made of woods in the right lower corner is called Baroque Traverso used in 1635 that looks like Daegeum(Korean traditional musical instrument) or Sogeum in the East.
Brass wind instrument that is commonly known as trumpet or horn varies in shape that its look itself is an art piece. I wish I would hear the sound but there wasn’t, what a pity.
Instead, the process and components of those wind instruments were explained in detail. Even the blueprints of them.
And the process of making string instruments that we’ve seen earlier was displayed here step by step. It’s hard enough to see violins not to mention the white hardwood violin that is in the process of production.
To think that trees being cut and polished by the master craftsman turning into this beautiful violin and cello and making sounds when it meets hands of a player that in turn makes people happy, the music played on the street was a product of a lot of people’s efforts and perspiration.
After we saw the process of manufacturing the musical instruments, we followed the stairs with pretty chandelier to upstairs. We couldn’t take our eyes off the portraits of famous composers hung on the walls.
Following along the glamorously decorated handrails, you’ll feel like you’re in a castle owned by royal family in Europe somewhere. And you’ll be imbued with opera music before you notice it.
As you step on the second floor, there’s a 3-4m high christmas tree in front of you. Classical music with a glittering tree. We straightly felt like it was Christmas.
This must be popular right now. There are pretty memo cards on the small table next to the stairs for visitors to write their wishes down and hang them on the trees.
It seems like there are already 100 wishes. We hung our wishes, actually hid them somewhere. Please make our wishes come true~!!
There’s a special event that if we write down our wishes and hang them there, they would draw for winners and give gifts. Well we’re here anyway, why don’t we make a wish and wish for winning?
We asked the soldier toy protecting the Christmas tree to pick us for the fire prize and took around the second floor.
The second floor had a quite big stage in the center. They open performances or concerts regularly and when there are not, they show the videos of famous vocalists non-stop. So the sound of music over the second floor was coming from here.
Thankfully, we could enjoy our tour while we were listening to music. It’s quite different from the quiet first floor. It made us feel like we’re in a music museum.
Small figures were all ornaments related to music. From the ones that look like typical musicians to the singing frogs in fairy tales, they were all singing or playing instruments.
And the musical notes that would look like fancy ornaments when they are exhibited with antique items. There were so many items related to music.
Old phonograph and baton and other things…the second floor had many items generally related to music than the first floor. Of course in the back, there are big musical instruments that cannot fit the first floor.
There was a harmonica that looks quite different from the one I used as a kid. It’s a six-side harmonica that 5 harmonicas are tuned in different keys that express various ranges.
The violin named stradivarius that I might’ve heard on National Geographic was also displayed. A masterpiece violin with such a long history had those letters engraved inside the soundbox and it is really expensive as far as I know.
These are harps that usually appear in the myths or fairy tales. Actually, I did not know that it would be so big until I saw it here. I was wondering what sould it would make since it’s as big as a person but it was a pity that all I could was watch it through the glass.
And there are musical notes of Don Giovanni, the opera composed by Mozart. Of course it cannot be the original but even so, it was enough to make us moved and it’s worth it.
Western music surely takes a big part of our music cultures. So most of the exhibition is here about the famous composers in Western countries.
In one corner on the second floor, there are things owned by one Korean composer. These are traces of Lee Heung-ryeol who composed Seomjib Agi(Island Baby) that starts with “while mama’s gone to island beach to pick some oysters” and Maternal Affection that starts with “she forgets all the pains she had when she gave birth to me.”
The piano used by him was also displayed here. Although he does not get a reputation historically but he is known as Korean Schubert since he contributed to modern Korean music industry as a composer and a conductor.
I wish that more people would take interest in music and it brings up more musicians that more Korean composers are introduced here.
Before we noticed it, we took a look around everywhere and came back to the lobby. It’s kinda small for a museum but I say it’s big for a museum of single theme, music and musical instrument.
It offers quite many things and activities to the visitors so even if you’re not invested in music, you could enjoy your time there. Plus those small decorations are another key point in this museum.
This Praum Musical Instrument Museum is worth a visit for those who major in music or who have a kid. Plus, it’s accessible by the subway from Seoul and this little visit would make your life more joyful.
Good news~!!!!
A few days after we visited Praum Musical Instrument Museum, we got a text.
Ta-da~!!! Our wish on the wish tree got the first prize!!!!
So less than a month after our first visit, we took our nieces and nephews to the museum again in the afternoon of one weekend. And we got our prize.
The prize in wooden box was a pretty orgel that looks like golden harp. The harp turns slowly making so beautiful sound. Although it was given to our nephew, the news was good enough for us.
Map : link
Address : 504-13, Dogok-ri, Wabu-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
Telephone : 031-272-7000
Operating Hours : Weekday 11:00~18:00 / Weekend 10:00~18:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Admission Fees : Adult 5,000 won (Free for 65+) / Adolescent 4,000 won / Child 3,000 won
Website : website
