A new season, a new bike

One of the first things on my agenda upon returning was to purchase a new bike. Mark has one, Jamie has one and two of my other friends--Michael and Lee Ann--each have one. It was time. To my dismay, I found nothing on Craigslist, but with a little help from Michael and Mark, I went to a few bike shops around Seoul to compare prices and see how far they were willing to negotiate :)

My first evening of shopping around, I found a bike that was calling my name. But I didn't want to buy it impulsively, so I waited a couple days, looked at some others, and eventually went back. To my delight, they dropped the price to fit my budget, so by Monday night, I walked away with a brand spankin' new (and may I say beautiful) bike. Since then, I've taken that thing all along the Han River and back. And just yesterday, a few others and I rode all the way to Anyang to play at an art sculpture park, which was as fun as it sounds!

[These are taken from my solo trip along the Han]

[The 63 Building up close and from afar]

[At Dongjak station. I think the grittiness of these stairs are wonderful.]

The next set of photos are from yesterday's adventure with Michael, Lee Ann, JP and Jamie. It was Children's Day, so most people had the day off (except Mark!). We took advantage of the beautiful weather and went on a three-and-a-half hour bike ride to Anyang, where there is this really neat sculpture park in the middle of a forest of trees. Jamie and I left early to go to a Cinco de Mayo BBQ, but I'm definitely making my way back soon.

[Michael & JP discussing the perils of color coordinating outfits]

[Trying to be inconspicuous w/ an over-the-shoulder photo of Jamie & JP]


[Taking a break to smell the lilacs]


[A bouquet of lilacs in Jamie's hair]


[JP adds a nice touch to his otherwise masculine backpack]


[And we're off!]


[A medieval-looking bridge]


[The first art installation we came upon]


[A reflection or reality? Or both?]


[We're just big kids at heart]


[My favorite installation. The proportions of the statue made it look like a reflection,
as if there was a giant mirror in the middle of the forest.]




[No, we didn't ride back...we took the train :)]

So there you go! This is only the beginning of my biking adventures in and around Seoul. Until next time, gros bisous xoxo