Omygod! I was going to come back to this post after looking for more leaves, and never did it. It’s Christmas Eve and I started a new post when I finally noticed. Well, the leaves are long gone, as we are in the dead of winter now, but here it is, as I wrote it on November 8th.
Hi y’all. I got to Seattle and back no problem. Then I quarantined at home for two weeks, as required by law. And I do mean “by law”. You have to download an app, so they can know where your phone is, and you can report your temperature and answer questions about if you have any COVID symptoms. If you have any thought of leaving home without your phone, if you put it on the table and don’t move it, they can tell, and they make your phone make a shrill alarm sound, and you must tap it to verify you are actually there. I didn’t know till I got back that if you live with somebody, you are supposed to stay in one room except to use the bathroom. Myung wanted to obey that directive, so I do that, for the most part. I usually make coffee before she gets up, so in the morning I did go to the kitchen to do that. Other than that, I dutifully stayed in one bedroom the whole time.
I got out three days ago. The first thing I wanted to do was go look at the fall colors. I have been looking forward to the Korean autumn since we decided to move here. Turns out, I was freed right at the right time. This post is to show pictures of the fall colors. They speak for themselves.
These first two are of trees in the park down the street.
Trees in the park down the street from where we live
The rest of these are all taken at Bulguksa Temple, about 10 kilometers south of here.
Bulguksa is the most famous World Heritage site in Gyeongju. Construction started in 751, at the height of the Unified Silla kingdom, and completed in 774. Here is how it looked in 1914. I got this picture off Wikipedia. It was restored between 1966 and 1973.
Now it looks like this.
Bulguksa Temple
Another smaller temple right behind it. Note the Chinese script. Written Korean wasn’t invented until 1443.
Way up the mountain is a fine 9th century Buddha statue. I got this picture off Google Images, as you are no longer allowed to photograph it.
I’m going to put off posting this until tomorrow, after we go to Bomun Lake, a little south of town, between here and Bulguksa. It’s a touristy place, famous here as a honeymoon destination. It’s got some pretty places, so maybe there are good fall colors there.
That’s where I was when I forgot to finish and send it off. There was nothing to see at Bomun Lake, as the trees are mostly exposed there and the leaves were blown off. So, now I’m going to go back to the December post. Hopefully, I won’t forget to sent that one. Sheesh!