Day 2 of our trip consisted of site seeing around Gyeongju. Wikipedia sums it up better than I can. There's just so much there! "Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD) which ruled most of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls". We started out by walking around Daerungwon Royal tombs. There are a lot of tombs, some double tombs. We then headed to the museum for something to do indoors while it rained. We still got wet though. :) We ate lunch in the cars while it finished raining. Then we headed up to the Bulguksa Temple, a Buddhist temple that was started in 751 AD. We saw people praying there, quite a few different Buddha statues make of either gold or bronze. There were no pictures allowed and we obeyed that rule. :) We then headed WAY WAY WAY up (10km) the mountain to the Seokguram Grotto to see a large statue of Buddha. I stayed in the car with James & Tate because 1) James was asleep at first and 2) Heights make me REALLY nervous. I got out my Kindle and read while Ken and the others went on the short hike farther up the mountain to see the big Buddha. After that was done, we headed back on the road. We had a short pit stop for Cathryn (in which she & I had a very interesting/funny experience with an Asian toilet). Once back on the highway, we stopped at the first rest area to eat dinner. The rest areas here have cafeterias, convenience stores, little motorized kid rides, some have lodging, and a snack bar, in addition to the restrooms. After dinner, we headed south to Busan (Pusan, again the words that start with 'b' have a combination b/p sound, like with the g/k's.)
The kids & I starting the walk around the Tombs.
James holding Brianne's hand. They were so cute together! She would not let him go. And yes, Cathryn is pushing an empty stroller.
A tree Ken wanted to dig up and take home. A picture is the next best thing.
2 tombs next to each other, not really a double one though.
Cathryn pushing Brianne around. They were best buds. Cathryn loved to 'mother' her and she loved to be 'mothered'.
Cheonmachong Tomb. We learned in the museum that once the Buddhist religion was adopted to unite the tribes in the area, gold as gifts in the tombs was all but eliminated. They started simplifying the burials. But now the people are proud of the tombs and heritage that comes with them.
Description of the tomb.
Pretty pond. We were getting rained on a little.
Double tomb
Water fountain
Lotus flowers. They had large lotus gardens in some places, but not all the flowers were in bloom yet.
Statue outside the Gyeongju National Museum
Ken said "Hurry! Take a picture of that building!" As we were driving. Hence the blurriness. :)
Bulguksa Temple, or part of it. It is a huge complex of buildings.
More of the temple
Stone pagoda inside the temple grounds
I'm standing at the bottom of the steps. Ken's on the top. They were VERY steep. Yes I did go up them, but not back down them. I heard a tour guide tell a group that they symbolize the 'climb' closer to purity and Buddha.
Another building on the temple grounds
James & Kevin were both leaning over looking at the huge fish in the pond.
Just one of the beautiful examples of the view walking up to and down from the temple.
Ken & Blake ringing the bell for mercy at the Seokguram Grotto.
The drop off the side of the path up to see the Seoguram Grotto Buddha. It's not blurry; it's a cloud. We were literally in the clouds.
This is the building the Buddha was in. Again, no pictures allowed so Ken obeyed.
Ken said that you could pay a little money to sign your name on a tag to put on a lantern. He doesn't know the significance of it, but I think they're pretty.
Cathryn drinking out of the communal fountain.
Blake's turn.
The building the Buddha was in. Again, clouds. And why I didn't go up. :)
All 6 kids at the rest stop goofing around. In order: Kevin, James, Blake, Tate, Cathryn, & Brianne. I got some boys that are good with the ladies! LOL
Fun fact about the Bulguksa Temple and Seoguram Grotto from the tourist map. "The Korea's representative grotto temple was built by the Prime Minister Kim Dae-seong in memory of his parents of the former life, and Bulguksa Temple in memory of his parents of the former life. A beautiful representation of Buddha's appearance, known as the pearl of the Buddhist Art in Unified Silla, is made of granite." The Silla kingdom was the reigning kingdom in the Gyeongju area from 57BC - 935AD.
Picture of the Seokguram Grotto Buddha from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/736/gallery/
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