When Zak and I first met, it was spring in Austin. Long evening bike rides, hikes along the Greenbelt, and day drives out in the Hill Country were our thing and each weekend we tried to top the last. Every year now, we try to recreate those spring time thrills, and even though our work schedules are a little less lax than they were back in those days we've managed to pack in some fun Sunday adventures.
Today tops them all, in Paldang. It's a Slow City, inspired by the Slow Food movement started in Italy. It's all about reconnecting with nature, respecting the environment, and getting out of the fast lane of life. We rented bikes and set out on a railway-turned-bike path, which extends 70 km along the Han River. Farmland with corn, peppers, strawberries, and sweet scented flower in vibrant pinks and purples dotted the view, with stunning Korean-style mountains (steep, but only about 1,000 feet in elevation) in the backdrop. It was just the respite we needed from crazy, crowded, smokey Seoul.
Photo side note: Zak manned the camera, and failed to let me do some photo ops with him!
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| Hard to read the sign, but this is an organic farm brand where we buy our veggies in Seoul. |
We ended the day with Korean ginseng soup, a healthy blend of herbs and a rice-stuffed chicken and black garlic. The photo doesn't do justice, because it was absolutely delicious!
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| Okay fine, it does not look appetizing I know. But seriously, it was amazing. |
Other spring adventures have included ethnic culinary outings with friends, walks around the city, and laughing about mistranslated, misspelled, or otherwise oddly worded signs. Truly amusing.
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| Out for Indian with coworkers and friends Hyunji, Kally, Todd, and Winnie. |
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| Friday the 13th full moon, from the top of our building. |
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| Chinatown, Seoul |
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| We decided not to eat here. |
