May 25, 2009

This Past Weekend.

This past weekend was particularly wonderful, particularly restful. Instead of making the trek into Seoul, as I usually do, Robin came out to Ganghwa. I haven't spent a weekend out here in months, which despite the endless number of things to do in Seoul, is a shame. Saturday, Robin and I went hiking. We hiked the mountain immediately behind Naega Market at a leaisurely pace, taking in the views of both the Yellow Sea and the sprawling countryside to the east. Robin really enjoyed our hike and was of course enraptured by the various flowers growing in the brush. I had been hiking at this spot once before but only partially; this time we hiked the entire extent of the trail. One of the more interesting sites on the moutain was a granite dome ten feet in height that was errected near the summit. Neither Robin nor I could figure out what the purpose of the structure was. I was later told, however, that it was a signal beacon from the mediaeval period that had been recently restored. After our hike, we hitchhiked back to Oepo-li and made our way to the bath house there. We both spent about an hour relaxing in the warm spring waters. On Sunday we went to Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul Anglican Church in Ganghwa-eup. It is always a wonderful experience worshipping there. The high Anglo-Catholic liturgy is so familar to me that I feel quite at home, although the language is Korean. People there are so warm and kind. Robin was impressed. Like all places in Korea ( and Asia for that matter), the hospitality of the parishioners is immense. Sister Clare, a religious attached to the parish made sure we had our hymnals and prayerbooks in order, reminding us where we would find the day's lessons in our Bible. We had marked our places before Mass in anticipation but her help was really appreciated. After Mass, we were whisked away to the parish hall for lunch. Like always, an enormous amount of food was prepared. Long after I was full, I ate four slices of watermelon at the insistence of one of the church ladies. Hospitality is very aggressive in Korea. After our meal, Robin and I headed toward the bus terminal, bought some food for that evening's supper, and heade off back to Naega. That night we made pork tacos. He had somehow come accross tortillas at the grocery store and decided right there and then that that's what we were going to make. The tacos actually came out really well. That's pretty much it. It was just a relaxing weekend but aren' t those the best?
-Dave