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Start
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Pureun Sup
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Songwon
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Garden
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Farm Pension
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Winter Festival
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Lee Hwa Won
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Songwon Makguksu
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Petite France
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Star Light Festival
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Finish
For this time, I will introduce you a wonderful garden called 'Lee Hwa Won' next to the Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival place. It's a new-style, harmony-themed park that the human pursue. The park includes the meaning of harmony between East and West, metropolitan area and provincial area, family and world. In the park, there is a small but beautiful garden filled with rich Brazilian coffee trees, Israeli olive trees, green tea trees of Hadong, citron trees of Goheung, and pine nut trees of Gapyeong. There are also Tropical botanical garden, South botanical garden, Wild Ecological Flower Garden, and Korean traditional garden.
An Auto Campsite is located in front of the entrance of Lee Hwa Won, 800m away from Nami Island. It's not that far, so there are many visitors for camping, even in the winter. The most popular touristic site of the Jara Isalnd might be the Auto Campsite.
Entrance fees of Lee Hwa Won is 3000 won for adults, 1500 won for the youth, and 1000 won for children. There are free parking lots around the entrance.
I have visited many botanical gardens and ecological parks in recent years, but it was hard to find a place to take some rest, enjoying a cup of tea. The size is smaller than other garden's, but this garden seemed to be constructed, with a value of 'Harmony', in order to promote friendship and communication each other. There were rest areas with plenty of benches in dense forests. It was very good place to walkand take a rest breathing fresh air and talking together.
If you enter into the arboretum with 2 big greenhouses, you could meet 'Goheung Farm' that shows reproductions of old thatched houses. I could find right away that the arboretum had different style.
After passing by the fence of orchard, the stream runs beside the road and citron trees are planted behind the fence of trifoliate oranges. I could walk on the dirt road and cross a stream on stepping-stones with splashes.
Plum blossoms from which balmy fragrance came out were in full bloom even in the middle of the winter. I missed the spring and it was nice to enjoy the spring here.
Stepping on the stones that are sparsely put over the stream led me to the bamboo forests and green tea farm. I found a Joseon Dynasty-style thatched house laid at the end of the road at the warm spring day.
Yellow citron trees confusing me if it's the winter,
Premature red camellia flowers were in full bloom
Inside the bamboo forest, 'Poseokjeong' was reproduced that people used to float glasses along the water above the winding waterway. You can get atmosphere of our ancestors who loved the nature, for a while.
I smelled balmy fragrance, and it was from apricot flowers. Plum blossoms were hanging in clusters on branches.
This place made feel that I was walking along the warm southern land, rather than looking at plants. The road made me enjoy the road as it was more than concentrate on the plants.
Purple jasmine flowers grew in clusters beside the road,
I walked narrow road of stream along the stone wall covered with moss. Here and there on the walking path looked so unique.
After moving to the second house, rich coffee trees welcomed us.
High temperature kept making my camera lens full of humidity, it was not tiring to wipe it out while taking pictures. It was warm and I took off my winter jacket early.
At the corner of the Coffee plantation, guitar-shaped sculpture was installed. Interesting sculptures were installed in places such as a turtle ship and airplane, etc.
I had no idea what these plants lined on both sides of the path were. I can't forget fragrance of the plants. I had smelled it somewhere, but I didn't remember, anyway that smell made me feel good.
Bananas were hanging in clusters on the banana tree and there was a banana flower under the tree which resembles a bell. I was surprised to see it because this flower is very rare in Korea.
A tropical forest was made with trees called phoenix tree which belong to the palm. Star light bulbs are hanging on tree branches and they make Christmas mood. Walking along the winding path, I found the forest was pretty big, even though its real size was not that big.
After seeing pretty flowers bloomed in small clusters, I would take a cup of coffee. You must wonder about why I drink coffee in the arboretum.
A small cafe, called 'Harmonia Cabin' and a rest area are provided in the garden. You could take a cup of tea for free as you show your ticket.
There are three types of drinks; coffee, citrus tea, and lotus leaf tea. One of which would be offered. I appreciate so much that I could see beautiful garden and be provided coffee with only 3000 won of entrance fee. In other words, it's like I paid for the coffee and looked around the garden for free.
Don't think it won't taste good because it's free drink. Brewed coffee was pretty tasty. My legs were hurts after looking around the Jaraseom Winter Festival and walking to Lee Hwa won from there. It was good to take some rest with a cup of warm coffee.
The gardener must be an expert of making fruits. In the garden, there were so many fruits of grapefruits, guavas, bananas, citrons, etc. It was very good idea to put a crocodile to prevent people from picking the fruit. (Of course, it's an artificial crocodile) ^^*
You should visit the beautiful garden, Lee Hwa Won, if you go travel to Chuncheon or Gapyeong. You should do when you go for Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival, as well. The garden is small but you would see the most beautiful garden ever. You could enjoy a cup of coffee in warm places at little cost. It can't get better than here!
Address : Jara Isalnd Eco Park, 57-3, Daegok-ri, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 가평군 가평읍 대곡리 57-3번지)
Telephone : 031-581-0228
Entrance fee : Adult 3000 won, Youth 1500 won. Children 1000 won
Open hour : 9 am ~ 5 pm (Summer season, until 6 pm)
Holiday : Every Monday
