#1-Just before the break we enjoyed the Lotus Lantern Festival with our friends, the Cerana family. Such a great family and the festival was fantastic. We started by making paper lotus lanterns and then enjoyed Buddhist food from Korea, Japan, and India. Then we tried a ton of traditional Korean crafts. This has been our favorite festival so far!
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In addition to the crafts we were able to write our wishes for the world and watch traditional ceremony. The mood of the festival was a bit subdued this year as many memorials were taking place for the lives lost in the ferry disaster.
#2-We spent a day with our Australian friends hiking and relaxing at the Namhansanseong Fortress. The original fortress wall surrounds a huge area of forest with a cute and busy village in the center. Hundreds of locals were in the village and on the trails enjoying this sunny, gorgeous day.
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This gives you a great image of the hiking culture here in Korea. Most Korean hikers are decked out in head to toe gear full of bright colors. Then, after the hike, they sit and drink bottles of soju liquor or makkoli wine and visit. Here was a table full of mature women hikers who gave us a lot of smiles and laughs as we walked by!
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#3-I made my first marmalade with kumquats Denys bought during their visit. The marmalade is AWESOME and I foresee many more batches in our future!
#4-Play dates and parks. In the honor of Children's Day we spoiled our sweet ones with tons of friend time over the week. On this day Josh took a morning bike ride to scout out a new park. We later brought friends and a picnic. The park had a great playground, hiking trails all over the hills, and an historical excavation site where ancient pottery and even a burial site were found. Oh, and of course exercise equipment scattered about.
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#6-Sleepover!
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