Monday night, Arbie insisted that he’d spend his holiday with me despite the huge pile of paperwork we both have to do! Nevertheless, we decided to just chill at the park nearby my place. Came Tuesday morning, while I was waiting for him to arrive, I started checking out Korean blogs for some other nice places to visit this spring. Many have blogged about 아침고요수목원 The Garden of Morning Calm and it enticed me to come and drag my boyfriend there that day!
“The Garden of Morning Calm is 330,000 m² flower garden, open year-round for your enjoyment”
According to their pamphlet, the garden is open all year round! And for every season, they offer unique festivals such as the Festival of Roses (Summer), Festival of Chrysanthemums and Autumnal Tints (Fall), Lighting Festival (Winter) and Spring Festival where the tulips are in full bloom! ♥
Here’s a tip though, never go there during weekends or holidays! It will be very crowded! No matter how big the garden is, the number of people visiting the area makes it less fun. Who would enjoy a wonderful view when you are marching like ants because there are just so many tourists? Arbie and I had to find ways to avoid the crowd or to wait in line just to get good pictures. It was chaotic. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed our trip! 😀
How to get there:
1. Take at ITX train at Yongsan Station/Wangsimni Station/or at Cheongryangni Station. Then go down at Cheongpyeong Station. Right outside the station is a bus stop. There you may take a Tourist Shuttle Bus (which goes around every tourist spot in Gapyeong such as Nami Island, Petite France and Jarassum). The Shuttle bus will cost you 5000 – good for one day, unlimited transpo. Be sure to keep the ticket tho! Travel time takes 25-30 minutes from Cheongpyeong station to The Garden of Morning Calm.
2. Another cheap option is to take the ordinary subway. Get on the Jungang-bound line (Last stop: Chuncheon), and get off at Cheongpyeong Station. You may also get off at Gapyeong Station, but since it will have to pass several tourists spots from that place – it will cost you more than an hour on the road.
What I love about the place, apart from the beautiful flowers you’ll see, is that they have picnic spots! One of the popular spots for picnic was the Morning Plaza. Some people just lie down on the grass while others spread a mat and enjoy the food they brought. Since we visited the garden during Children’s Day, there were a lot of kids playing across the plaza. Sadly, I wasn’t able to capture any of this – Arbie was in charge of my camera that time (HAHA XD)
Finally, this isn’t a public garden – you have to pay ₩9,000. The entrance fee is quite expensive compared to other parks! So, I really think preparing kimbap or bringing food and everything you’ll need for a long-day picnic will compensate that. The food stalls and other stores near or inside the are are just waaaay overpriced. The monopod we bought was ₩20,000! So, take note of the things you’ll have to bring 😉
No Comments