Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Daereungwon Ancient Tombs
•  
• Cheomseongdae
•  
• Gyochon Village
•  
• Gyeongju National Museum
•  
• Bulguksa Temple
•  
• Bomun Tourist Complex
•  
• Gyeongju Tower
•  
• Bunhwangsa Temple
•  
• Food
•  
• Finish

Silla Millennium Park 신라밀레니엄파크

Over half of the sun has went down the mountain, and a day in Gyeongju is passing away. But our tight schedule is still left.

A 80m replica building of Hwangnyongsa 9 floor wooden tower that is built around Bomun Tourist Complex. This building is not a simple tourist facility, it is a training institute of Donguk industries in Pohang, it will look magnificent when the construction is done. But for now, we will pass by, since it's still under construction~.

We came to visit Silla Millennium Park, although it's location is at the end of Bomun Tourist Complex and the time is late.

The Millennium Park is a complex experience history theme park, with it's main theme as Silla. It's consisted of attractions, experiences and a Korean-style Hotel Lagung.

It's able to enter in the night time also. The night time entry is from 4 p.m. We entered at 6:50 p.m. Actually, we thought a lot whether to enter or not.

I thought we could look around at least until 8 p.m in the weekends, but they said after 7p.m only the main concert hall is opened, and the other facilities will be under control for the safety matters.

The worker of the ticket booth told us the best choice is to enter at least at 6p.m and look around. Instead there is a concert at 7p.m, so we decided to enter and watch the concert.

A 5.6m fountain that that reflects the earthenware in the Shape of an Auspicious Animal (treasure no. 636), which is found in Michu Royal Tomb. Earthenware in the Shape of an Auspicious Animal is a earthenware in the Shape of a kettle with the shape of a turtle's body and a dragon's head and tail.

“But there's no water coming out from the fountain??? Maybe because the time is too late?”

Next to the earthenware in the Shape of an Auspicious Animal fountain are long fountains that have 12 stone statues that is made with the motives of Za(mouse), Chuk(cow), In(tiger), Myo(rabbit)…

The fountain is made in three sets and the fact that all the rock statues are looking at the right side, they have followed the decorating rock statues of the tomb of general Kim Yu-sin.

At the left side trail of the fountain are the world's famous 4 cities. But they were a bit awkward, making me wonder why are they here? The statue's title is Constantine I and the Milano Imperial ordinance.

A statue that mimicked the Medusa's head in Basilica Sistine Chapel, the underground castle in Istanbul, Turkey. When I saw this, I really, really wished there was a statue related to Gyeongju, instead of this.

Inside were miniature of Bagdad, it wasn't a big attraction, but we had nothing else to look around so we simply looked around and passed by.

It was already 7p.m. We heard music coming from around the concert hall, which noticed us the start of the concert.

A huge building shaped as Emaile Bell (King Seongdeok Divine Bell) which is across the concert hall.

Behind the Emaile Bell was a trail, a way to the drama set, but we felt sad that we can't go further.

So we decided to concentrate at the concert, and ran back to the seats.

Here at Silla Millennium Park they performed Horseback show and shadow play, and 'The Queen's Tears' which is a performance using the lights.

The 'The Queen's Tears' performance starts at 7p.m, and the story is based on Seonduk Queen. The performance is played on the middle concert stage with a large lake in the middle, and the left red house set, the moving castle set.

Especially children liked very much when the actors danced and acted with various lights, while moving across the lake on a boat.

This performance is consisited with many components. It is known as the best attraction in Millennium Park, along with the Horseback show.

And as the day went darker, the sight looks mystique under the lights. If fireworks came out together, it would have been more spectacular, but there weren't any.

The 30 minute performance ended with a blink of an eye, and the actress who played Seonduk queen became an star among the children. She was busy taking celebrating photos with them.

The day has become very dark within 30 minutes, and marvelous lights were on around the Emaile Bell building.

I went close to the building, curious of what the building is for. And… shocking~!! It was a snack bar that sells snacks like hamburgers.

We finished looking around the parts of Millennium Park in 40 minutes and to take a look more, we went down the stairs that nobody uses.

Canon DIGITAL IXUS 65 | f/2.8 | 2014:04:26 19:55:12 | Flash fired, auto mode | 5.8mm

There was a Cheoyong waterfall that water comes out every hour and explains about Cheoyong, who is a character in The Heritage of the Three States. But it didn't operate in the late hours.

As we went down to the entrance, the 12 statue fountain's colorful lights were also on.

We came late, so we couldn't look around much, but we were lucky to see the light facilities on.

The entrance's yellow lights were also on. We came out with the manager of the theme park and we became the last tourists of the theme park on 26 April, 2014.

I think the most efficient and reasonable time to enter is at about 4:30 p.m. So if you visit here next time, watch the time, and don't fail like us.

And the online tickets for during the week is 3~4,000 won per 1 person cheaper than buying it offline.
I felt a bit sad that we couldn't look around much, but I assured myself that we had tasted a bit of Gyeongju's night view, which we were going to look around from now on. Then we headed to our next place.

Address : Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do sinpyeongdong 719-70 (경상북도 경주시 신평동 719-70)

Phone Number : 054-778-2000

Opening hours : 10:00 to 19:30

Website : http://www.smpark.co.kr

Gyeongju World Culture Expo – Gyeongju Tower 경주타워

There is a World Culture Expo opened once in every 2~3 years at an Expo near Bomun Tourist Complex, Gyeongju. It is opened with the goal to mix the world's different cultures based on the rich culture heritages that Gyeongju had kept, and to newly bloom them.

The Expo isn't a cultural heritage, coming down for thousands of years and there's not any special event at the Expo. But there's a reason why we visited the Expo in this late hours, despite of the facts before. It's because there is Gyeongju Tower, the symbol of Gyeongju Bomun Tourist Complex standing in the current Expo.

The Expo looking across the Silla Millennium Park had no people since the tour hours was finished, looking like a quiet park lighting up the trees surrounding it.

And the Gyeongju Tower standing in the middle. This glass tower resembles the Hwangnyongsa 9 floor wooden tower into engraving, and the height is 82m, high enough to be seen even from Bomun Tourist Complex.
What's more, the night view of the tower, with illumination lighting up like the Hwangnyongsa tower is very beautiful, becoming another night attraction of Gyeongju and a modern attraction.

The Expo Park was actually not free, but currently it has changed into a free park. In the Gyeongju Tower there is a simple gallery and an observatory, so when you visit during the daytime, you will be able to see the full view around Bomun Tourist Complex.

Address: 130 cheongundong Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do (경상북도 경주시 천군동 130)

Phone Number: 054-748-3011

Opening hours: 09:00 to 18:00

Main http://www.cultureexpo.or.kr/

Wolji (Anapji) 월지

'Silla's Moon Night' has become a proper noun. There is a song with it's title 'Silla's Moon Night' in the 1940's and also a movie 'Silla's Moon Night' in the 1990's.
These tell us that Gyeongju's night view is very beautiful.

So we headed to the downtown, to see the best night view of Silla. Wolji is Silla's artificial lake coming from a thousand years ago.
Wolji is opened until 22:00 for tourists to look at Wolji's night view and it's always packed with people. And because the entering time is until 21:30, you should come with enough time.

As expected…the road around Wolji and inside Wolji were crowded with people.

We were afraid if we could ever take a look of Wolji, instead of the people. But we were able to enter quickly, thanks to the ticket guides wearing red clothes and ticketing was also available through a vending machine at the ticket booth.

Wolji is and artificial lake, used to be inside a secondary palace in the Silla era. It is also called as Anapji, due to the wild geese and ducks who flew in to the lonely lake often during the Joseon Dynasty.

It is round(鉤形), it's west east 200m and south north 180m, with 3 islands in it. The lake is not a big size, but it is made to look wide at any direction you look at it.

It is assumed to be made during Silla king Munmu. And Imhaejeon, where Silla's last king Gyeongsun had opened his feast when he gave Silla to Goryeo's Wang Gun is said it was nearby Wolji.

When we first arrived at Wolji, we thought 'The place has just an ordinary night view.. maybe the meaning of the place made it special.'While we were walking around Wolji lake, taking a look at the rather ordinary scene.

After a while, we finally got to see the real beauty of Wolji's night view. It was the beautiful sight of the buildings reflected on the lake's water.

Although the sight was made artificially by light facilities, it was hard to definite the border of the water and building, because the reflection on the water were very clear and beautiful.

I guess our ascestors also saw the similar view, although not as strong as nowadays, of Wolji when the full moon rises, just like the song of 'Silla's Moon Night'
A tip of tour in Wolji. When you go in the entrance and meet the starting part of Wolji there are many people crowded there, but actually the view there is not that good.
Instead, go straight to the place from around Wolji's third building to the part of the right side, where is the best place to watch Wolji's night view.

we moved to see Cheomseongdae's night view before too much time passes away.
Next to Wolji's ticket booth is the 'Drinking Dice experiencing' sign with a large drinking dice, but it's not an official experience center. It's kind of a business skill to sell 'drinking dice bread' so if you were going to taste it, I tell you to just pass by.

On the road to Cheomseongdae from Wolji there are light facilities in the rape blossoms flower field, there were many people looking around even though it was night time.

There are bright lights lighting Wolseong's forest and the faraway Guilin and around king Naemul's royal tomb, showing us a picture-like view.
You should be careful because there are no other lights on the road, but to me it became a memory of Gyeongju, where I felt the night view of Silla.

We arrived at Cheomseongdae after 10 minutes. Around Cheomseongdae are just a wide ground, so Cheomseongdae is easy to find from a faraway distance.
As I thought, the yellow curve of Cheomseongdae glowed magnificently, antithetic with the black night sky.

The night view of Cheomseongdae was very fascinating, giving us a different feeling from the daytime. But as it was night, it's hard to take a photo, that's a pity.
Although for those who watch the night view of Wolji and Cheomseongdae, this sight will be the most memorable tourist site in Gyeongju.
We drooled by the beauty of them until late night, and missed the last public transportation.

Anapji 안압지

Address: 506-1 inwangdong Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do (경상북도 경주시 인왕동 506-1)

Phone Number: 054-772-4041

Opening hours: 09:00 to 21:30

Website : http://guide.gyeongju.go.kr/deploy/cultural/03/03_07/03_07_02/03_07_02_04/1191875_5257.html