Have you watched the kdrama called Lovely Runner? It's a nice kdrama to watch and no, I'm not here to talk about the plot or give my reviews about it. I wanted to mention it because some of the filming locations of that kdrama is in Suwon and now, my friends and I were here!
Since I was the only first timer in South Korea in this group of friends, I told them I'd be leaving the itinerary to them and I'd just be a follower. They know SoKor best, and I'm pretty sure they don't want to go to the same tourist spots. So when I heard we're going out of Seoul, I was excited! When I heard we're going to Suwon, I was so thrilled!
Suwon is the capital city of the Gyeonggi-do Province, and is located on the south of Seoul. We're only doing a half day trip here from Seoul to (1) visit the filming locations of the kdrama Lovely Runner and (2) tour around the city.
After subway rides and a (quite fast) bus ride, we're now in Suwon. Our first stop was go to the house of Im Sol and Sun-jae which are located across each other.
We reached Im Sol's house after going through alleys. It was so recognizable because they even put a yellow umbrella on display. That yellow umbrella was also in the drama, but not sure if it's the same umbrella.
Im Sol's house is actually a cafe! The building is called Mong Ted Cafe in real life and of course, we didn't miss the opportunity to eat here. They sell breads, so I had a variety and a drink. The cafe is actually quite small for a big group like us, so there were only 3 of us inside and the rest had a table outside. I was inside with 2 others, and after we ate, we joined the rest outside.
Sun-jae's house across the cafe also gets a lot of attention from fans. We could only stay til the blue gate though. I'm not sure if someone lives there but the house doesn't look abandoned although I didn't see anyone inside.
After the snack time, we passed by the little alleys again and then realized these alleys were also featured in the drama. This was the little street where they often walk together.
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My friends then led me to a cafe street. I couldn't remember this very location very well in the drama but my friends told me this was where they had a date. This street seems popular.
We continued walking and reached a store where they've displayed photos from the drama. This store was also a filming location, and as far as I can remember, in the drama it was a store owned by Im Sol's family. The store in real life looks the same as it was in the drama.
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It was already getting dark when we reached Hwahongmun Gate. It was the perfect time because this spot, particularly this small bridge was where the confession happened and that was also night time. There's a walking area along the stream but on the Hwahongmun Gate side, it's kinda dark so we had to use our flashlights and be very careful in our steps.
We saw something like a fortress so we went there to check it out. I thought we're done with the fan girling moment, but as we walked around the park which was inside, I realized this was the park in the drama where Sun-jae and Sol biked around.
On the right was the Yongyeon Pond which had a very nice reflection at night.
This was the end of our Lovely Runner pilgrimage but our visit in Suwon didn't end there yet.
We reached Hwaseong Bukdong Fortress but we're on the street side so looking at it, it felt like a huge fortress that could keep us safe from enemies - but we're outside I think. π We couldn't find a way to go up from here so we moved on.
We reached the Janganmun Gate and I remembered the bus earlier passed this gate. I guess this is the entrance to Suwon. It looks so nice at night, and is full of people.
We found stairs to go up the Hwaseong Fortress so even though it was so steep, we managed to get up safely. The view up here was fine. It was more of a walking trail rather than a viewing deck, because the walls were a bit higher than an average person. We found a cannon however so I could imagine this place used to defend the city from attackers. The cannon was unused, and I'm not sure if it's still working fine.
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site on December 1997. It was built during the Joseon dynasty by the King at that time to honor his father. This fortress still stands til today.
We decided to have dinner at a chicken place blocks away from the gate. It was still 7:30-ish PM but on the main road, many stores were already closed. The streets were colorful but almost empty. I wonder if the people here are "early to bed, early to rise"?
We ended the night at a famous chicken restaurant called Jin Mi Chicken. Chicken and beer night? Nah, we didn't had beers. π
Their chicken was so delicious by the way. I'm not used to Korean-level spiciness so the spicy chicken was really spicy for me but it was so good I had to endure the spiciness. π
We started our Suwon day trip fan girling and ended it with touch of history. Who would have thought we'd be walking around this century old fortress at night time? I think there's more to Suwon than this, but for this time, I was satisfied and happy I was able to come here. Definitely of the best highlights of my South Korea vacation.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! γγγγγΎγγοΌ
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.