Holiday Journal

• Start
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• Pureun Sup
•  
• 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

What would be the most beautiful representative garden of Korea? I would say the Garden of Morning Calm is one of these gardens. Especially, I dare say Osaek Byeolbit Jeongwon Jeon, the lighting festivalthat you enjoy only during the winter season, is the most beautiful place.

The garden was established by a Professor of Horiculture of Samyuk University Han Sang-gyeong and his wife Lee Young-ja in 1966. It is said that they wanted to make a hometown of hearts where people can meditate and take a rest. The garden's name was inspired by Indian poet Tagore's description of Korea, 'The country of the morning calm'.

The 8^th Lighting Festival will take place until March 15^th. It's an annual winter festival. The theme of this year is 'with Love' that means we could be happy when we are together. The lighting hour is from after sunset(It was 5:20pm when I visited in mid-January) to 9 pm. It's opened until 11 pm. on Saturday. Entrance fees are like a picture above. Please check that prices of the weekend(Sat.~Sun.) are different from weekday ones.

I arrived early in the morning and looked around the bright Garden of Morning Calm. Sparrows were eating insects, because it's hard to find prey during the winter on the thatched roofs.It was good to hear the lovely birdlike chatter, because I couldn't see sparrows in the city recent days. I started to watch the view in the afternoon before sunset. Light bulbs were turned on around 5 pm after sunset. If you come around this time, it might be difficult to park. It would be better to come early around 4 pm to take some tea and enjoy the view of bright garden.

If you enter the entrance, first, you could meet wings of little angel in front of a building of thatched house, 'The Morning Calm History Museum'. I had seen it through pictures, but it was shiny and it made me feel that I was going to fly in the sky.

If you go into the garden passing by the Wings of angel, there could meet Hometown House Garden. Isn't it beautiful? It's too early to be surprised with it. There is more beautiful place in the garden through a Starlight Tunnel!

When you pass through two colorful Starlight Tunnel, it's the time to go see the heaven.

Shiny lights illuminated all over the gardens. No matter of their age, many women exclaimed “Wow~!" with admiration.

One of different things at this Lightening Festival this year was a new decoration of Eden Garden. It was the umbrella theme decoration. It seemed I was walking under twinkling umbrellas in the night sky. It was impressive that the lights were installed in the sky, not on the ground.

In the big park, there are beautiful lights illuminating over the Hometown House Garden, Bonsai Garden, Garden of Eden, Hagyeong Garden, Sky Path, and Moonlight Garden. Each gardens have their own themes. The lighting Festival is held in the winter, but a lot more festivals take place from the spring to autumn with 5000 kinds of plants, for example, Wild Flower Festival, Spring Flower Festival, Iris Festival, Hydrangea Festival, Roses of Sharon Festival, Camomile Festival, etc. As the sky was getting darker, trees started to emit the lights!

Light bulbs like the starlight in the sky were on and it made me feel I was in a different world. Looks so pretty.

I could hear exclamations in various languages. It shows the number of foreign tourists visiting Korea was increased nowadays. It seemed half of visitors were foreigners. Welcome to Korea~ There are more beautiful places~

Hagyeong Garden was the most attractive garden with full of lights. I didn't choose any special place to go, but I could see beautiful things following the road.

It seems all the lights over the world were splashed in the garden. Isn't it so pretty? It has self-explanatory view.

Hagyeong Garden is a main garden of the Garden of Morning Calm. Spectacle of lights are shining from all over trees in the garden.

The theme of this year, Light called 'with LOVE', was very popular. Luckily, I could take a picture pressing the shutter fast through crowded people. It would be much prettier to take a picture with the direction of long exposure on the tripod. Let's have a year with full of love!

Then, I was getting into the Sky Path toward the Moonlight Garden. The Sky path was filled with pumpkin carriage for the lovers, big and small mushroom fairies, and colorful heart-shaped lights.

Loving couples and families are busy to check their love together. I was so pleased to see the elders who were feeling like a child and the lovely young couples.

Mushroom fairies were shining on the snow.

There are dancing philodendrons creeping larches, baby angels protecting the Moonlight Church, and animals. This is the moment that you should confess your love to your boy/girl friend! This is the perfect chance to win his/her love!

Another attraction of the 8^th Lightening Festival is an exhibition of 'Longing' by artist Lee Hye-min at the Morning Calm gallery. It will be held until mid-January. I'm sorry that I couldn't take a picture, because taking pictures was not allowed. If you travel Gapyeong, don't forget to visit here. This is the most powerful way that you could be loved!

Address : Garden of Morning Calm, 432, Sumokwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 가평군 상면 수목원로 432)

Telephone : 1544-6703

Entrance fee (Monday~Friday) : Adult 8000won, Youth 6000won, Children 5000won

Entrance fee (Saturday~Sunday) : Adult 9000won, Youth 6500won, Children 5500won

Opening hour : 11 am ~ 9 pm (~11 pm on Saturday,

Lightening hour : After sunset ~ 9 pm (Until 11 pm, Saturday)