Travel Diary Gimcheon, Gumi

Gimcheon thrills with recreational sports offerings

A sudden cold spell made me shiver, but I was excited on my way to Gimcheon and Gumi. It takes only one hour and 15 minutes to get to Gimcheon (Gumi) Station by SRT from Seoul, something that amazes me given that the same distance would have taken over three hours by car. My heart was beating with excitement for the things I would see and enjoy in this strange city. My first destination was Jikjisa Temple. I developed my interest in Korea from the Korean soap operas, “Daejanggeum” and Queen Seondeok,” so I felt really fortunate to visit such a historical place in person.

Jikjisa Temple located at the foot of Hwangaksan Mountain was shining beautifully among the fall leaves. I was particularly surprised to know that the temple was built in 418 during the Silla Dynasty. Even though the part of the temple that had been lost to fire was restored, I could still feel the trace of time and find treasures such as the three-storied stone pagoda and Buddhist painting in the temple.

In front of Jikjisa Temple, there stands Gimcheon World Porcelain Museum. Albeit small, it is a great place to look around with porcelains from many European countries that have been made from the 18th century to present days as well as special exhibitions.

The highlight of the trip to Gimcheon is the recreational sports programs in Buhang Port. I dared to take a 1.7km round-trip zip wire after climbing up the 93-meter-tall rainbow-colored iron tower, and I was thrilled at the feeling of being immersed in the pure nature. You can also experience sky walk, where you walk on the tower with a rope tied to your body. At first, I thought it would be easy, but as time passed by, I started to feel scared and my legs began to wobble. So, I had to quit in the middle.

I feel very regretful about that, and I do hope that I can come back and experience the feeling of walking in the sky one day. If the zip wire and sky walk are for those people who have nerves of steel, the 256-meter-long suspension bridge is a walking path for men and women of all ages. Watching the beautiful scenery around the bridge, including Buhangcheon Stream surrounded by densely populated trees with sunlight shining off the stream, was also entertaining.

Gumi, home to grand Geumosan Mountain

I left Gimcheon for Gumi. Gumi is the city that is home to grand Geumosan Mountain, which is a perfect destination for me who love the mountains in Korea. Over the past two years of my stay in Korea, I climbed up the mountains in Incheon and Ganghwado whenever I had free time while studying.
 
I especially like to climb up the mountains in the fall. Romania has many mountains too, but fall leaves there are not as colorful as those in Korean mountains, so I wish I could stop time in this season of fall. As such, the chance of climbing up Geumosan Mountain made me excited! Geumosan, the 976-meter￾tall mountain, was designated as a provincial park in 1970 for the first time in Korea, and you can move up to the middle ridge of the mountain by a cable car. While on a red cable car, which looked like a toy car, I was able to see beautiful mountain terrain, Geumosanseong Fortress, and even downtown Gumi far below. Even though it was a short span of time, I was fascinated by the beautiful scenery outside.

At the arrival point, there were other tourist attractions such as Haeunsa Temple and Daehye Fall. Even in the chilly weather, the sight of yellow Ginko tree leaves and fresh air felt healing for my tired body and mind. I also recommend Olle trail in Geumosan Mountain, a great walking path. It is a 2.4-km trekking trail around Geumo Lake, where you can enjoy a picturesque view of blue sky and clouds reflected from the lake.

I decided to wrap up my trip by visiting Geumridan-gil, which is also known as a “hot place” in Gumi. Just like Garosu-gil in Sina-dong, Seoul, there are many cozy stores at every corner of this area. I had dinner at a restaurant run by a young bachelor and had a cup of coffee with sweet desserts at a vintage-style café. I also looked at the books containing great novel ideas at a small bookstore named “Chaekbom” where independently published books were sold. The city that felt strange at first became very familiar to me by then. My trip to Gimcheon and Gumi—it will be another enjoyable memory that I will cherish for a long time.