The Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the best things to see when you travel to Korea in Spring. It’s in Gyeongsamnam-do and about a 2 hour drive away from Gyeongju.
It was my first car drive in Korea actually, which I somehow managed to do. Jinhae is a port town and is renown for its cherry blossom trees, which were once seen as a relict from the Japanese occupation. Nowadays this resentment seems to have diminished and people who come to see the blooming of blossoms rather enjoy the scene than seeing it from a historical perspective. In the upper picture, you can see the Mugunghwa, which was parked at the railroads end and serves for the scenery. Many people pose before the train and take candid shots and the entering of the station is worth seeing.
The weather in spring is comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold and a thin shirt is sufficient to enjoy the days.
Also next to the rail tracks many food stalls offer snacks and some artists attract crowds with their performance, some have talent, other surely can be skipped watching.
The rail tracks were very crowded as there are only few days in the year where one can see the flowers bloom. So it is a very popular time to go.
Next there is the Romance bridge and appeared in some dramas. The bridges are paved by long streets where food and things are sold.
Even after sunset many people visit the area and take photos.
Lots of grill restaurant next to the bridge, but not necessary delicious places unless you just want to take a bite.
The skewers were delicious, we had some with lamb and some with chicken as appetizer.
This was pork belly with gochujang.
Before sunset. A last photo before we picked up the car and went back to Gyeongju.
Finally, we decided to go into a restaurant on the other side of the bridge area and had a dinner menu for 2. A vegetable soup with bean paste, bibimbap and some pork. It was quite delicious and a lot cheaper than what you would have paid in Seoul (as always in Korea, Seoul is pricier).