falling in love with busan in 17 hours

Due to the short term notice nature of my trip to Japan I had to keep flight prices in mind (since it was also Easter Weekend and on top of that prime Cherry Blossom season) so I ended up booking a trip over Korean Air with a 17 hour layover in Busan on the first leg of my trip.

 

 

Busan is South Korea’s second most populous city after Seoul and is nestled between mountains and the sea on the southern-most tip of Korea.

 

I had been to Korea before in 2012 to Seoul but never Busan and welcomed this short stopover as a good opportunity to get a glimpse of this city. After some issues with public transportation (due to late arrival at Gimhae Airport and lack of Korean language skills) I arrived at my couchsurfing host for the night. Luckily, Koreans are some of the most friendly and helpful people I have ever met, so I managed to get to my host just after midnight. He lives in a cute little apartment right next to the beach with stunning views of the beach and the towering high rises along the coast (see picture above). 

 

The next morning I set out to explore the area by the beach and head down to a street supposedly lined with cherry blossom trees. The weather wasn’t too great but I enjoyed the walk on the beach, people playing with their puppies and jogging along the shore. After a delicious pastry from a cute bakery on the way I took a stroll through the streets lined with cherry blossom trees. Magnificent!

 

 

Since my flight was at 4pm in the afternoon I decided to collect my things and make my way to another area of Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village. It was again a bit of a challenge to get there, but once again the people of Busan were so helpful and friendly (someone even paid for my bus fare as I didn’t have any change and only large bills!) so I managed to get there in the end. You have to take a tiny little bus that takes you up the winding little streets up to the “village”, which is famous for it’s colorful houses nestled close to each other on the mountain. They even call it the “Favelas” of Korea!

 

 

I was lucky that the sun came out for a bit while I was there but unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time to explore the little alleys due to my tight schedule… so I hailed a cab and headed back to the airport, where I tried some seafood noodles that proved that I have no tolerance towards spiciness…

 

 

I am really glad I had the opportunity to combine two places in one trip – and one thing is for sure: This wasn’t my last time in Busan… :)

xxx
Ines

These nights never seem to go to plan

First off I want to show you some touristy shots of Madame Liberty and Manhattan during sunset! Seeing the statue of liberty was high up there on my to-do list – but I was surprised how small it is! From the shots on TV I thought it would be huge! Of course it’s still big (Just the nose is 4 feet long) but not as big as I expected.

Did you know you can skip the overpriced boats and get on the Staten Island ferry FOR FREE? It will take you past this lovely lady and after a bit of waiting back to Manhattan. ;)

xxx

 

Shanghai Lights

  

Some pictures from my recent trip to Shanghai!
I love this city, especially how it looks at night… but I still prefer Beijing to Shanghai when it comes to living… it’s much hotter and more humid during summer. And I am really not a fan of hot and rainy…

Shanghai offers a lot of good food, nice bars, clubs and a little bit of a more international feeling than Beijing due to it’s status of the country’s financial and economical hub.

I loved walking along the bund. It’s a view that you just can’t get enough of…

xxx

La cite d’amour

DAY One: Academie National de Musique & Louvre

More pictures from my trip to the capital of love! My sister is doing her clinic practice in Paris for three months (she studies veterinary medicine) so I went to see her for a couple of days! This city is full of magic! <3

xxx