May 13

Gyeongju - Rest Day


Already - another rest day!  I'm good with that.  It was a beautiful day out there, but a tad warm.  This was the street that last night was so alive; pretty quiet this morning.


We had about a 5 minute walk to the breakfast restaurant.  On the way to/from there we saw this Teletubbies building.  Who knew they were still a thing??


Back to the hotel and Baba (our mechanic extraordinaire) took a look at my bike and cleaned the chain (again) for me.  I've lowered the seat just a smidgen and that might make the long days just a bit more comfortable. After that - we were off to see some of the historical sights.  Gyeongju is loaded with sites of historical importance.  It is known as "the museum without walls", and served as the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom for nearly 1,000 years.  As a UNESCO World Heritage site, it offers a dense concentration of ancient history.  And a bonus was that much of it was within walking distance of our accommodation.  As a side note, the city hosted the 2025 APEC meetings.  Even the local Starbucks is built in historical fashion.


First up - Cheomseongdae Observatory.  This is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia, and possibly even the world.  It was constructed during the Silla period, during the reign of Queen Seondeok (632-647 AD).  It was designated the country's 31st national treasure in 1962 and is part of Gyeongju Historic Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  



There are burial tombs all over the city,


..... but we next went to see the Gyeongju Daereungwon Ancient Tomb Complex.  Some young folks in traditional dress were kind enough to let us take their picture on the way in.


There was a beautiful forest and gardens in the complex as well.


Incentive to not climb on the tombs.




There is one tomb that they have excavated and turned into a bit of a museum.  We went in and were gobsmacked by the riches they had found in there.  Here's a sampling.







Based on the relics found in the tomb, they could figure out where the trading routes were in those times.  Looks like the Strait of Hormuz was open for business.



Soooo many tourist busses at all of the sites.  Everything from school kids to seniors.  Mostly South Koreans.


Lots of these little buggies for rent for getting around town.  I found the one I wanted.



Then it was over to Gyochon Traditional Village.  A quick trip around there.








Then just wandered for a bit.  Found the Woljeonggyo Bridge.




The Gyeongju Wolseong Palace Site, much of which is still being excavated.









And - the final stop on the tour.  The Gyeongju Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond.  









I walked back through the park with the observatory.  Nice park area.









Home sweet home.


I ran into quite a few of the others around the dinner hour.  Sounds like everyone saw different things, but everyone had a good day.  Big day tomorrow with lots of steep climbing and long mileage.  There's one hill in particular (5.5 km, avg 8.1% grade) that I would like a van ride up, but not sure how possible that is.  Otherwise it's going to be a long walk.  Earlier than normal start for us, so good-night.  


Comments

  1. Lynn CMay 13, 2026 at 7:04 AM

    looks like a good rest day -- lots of interesting sites to visit and learn some history. Good luck tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete

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