DMZ Tour

Seoul, Korea

Estimated length: 6 hours

It seemed that a day trip to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) was a popular activity amongst my friends, so I looked into it also.  It is definitely good for a little something something outside of the city and learning more about the Korean War.  This trip can be done as a half day, giving you time to do something else in the afternoon.

A guided tour is required.  I did my research on this and found the ST6 Tour from Star Travel was the least expensive tour I could find and offered the same sites as the other tour operations.  As I understand it, it will be easier for you to visit the DMZ on a tour.  I think you can go on your own, but it might be difficult to manage.  I went on a tour and it was easier that way.

Imjingak Park

Freedom Bridge

Dora Observatory

"When the Trans-Korea Railway (TKR), the Trans-Siberia Railway (TSR), and the Trans-China Railway (TCR) are connected in the future, Dorasan Station promises to emerge as the starting point of the transcontinental railroad."

Dorasan Station

Inside Dorasan Station

Everland

Location: Yongin, South Korea

Recommended Time Required:  3/4 to full day

Everland and Lotteworld are the two biggest and most popular amusement parks in Korea.  Everland is an easy, although lengthy, bus trip from Seoul.  Its biggest draw is the wooden roller coaster, which I have to admit is quite thrilling and a lot more stable than I imagined it would be.  When I asked my co-teacher which park he preferred he said, "Everland.  It is better."  And according to my students when I asked them what they did over the weekend or a long break, their answer was Everland more often than Lotteworld.

Entrance

Wear fancy headbands like the locals do!

Zootopia, the zoo section of Everland is quite fun if you enjoy animals as I do.  You have to line up early and have patience to wait for the safari tour where you can view a real life LIGER! (as made popular in Napoleon Dynamite)  Unfortunately, since my friend and I slept in and didn't get on the road until early afternoon, we didn't get to the park until mid-afternoon which meant our time was limited and we had to skip the long line to see the liger.  Bummer.

I guess it's OK to feed the monkeys.

White tigers

Not a liger

Kangaroos

In all honesty, the main ride is the wooden roller coaster.  There were a couple other small roller coasters and other attractions (i.e. haunted house) and the park is quite big, but I thought it lacked in the amount of adult rides.  The Caribbean Bay water park is only open in the summer.

Everland really requires a full day as the lines to wait for the attractions can be really long, plus the Moonlight Parade at night is quite fun to see.

Eze Village, France

I saw Eze Village in the France train timetable book that was given to me by the ticket agent in Arles. There was an aerial picture of Eze, showcasing it as a village sitting atop a mountain with the sea surrounding it on at least one side. I thought it looked stunning and thought I would pay a visit. I also learned that it was an easy bus trip from Nice for only 1EUR.

Eze Village is just as picturesque as St. Paul de Vence, while maintaining its own charm. The walls and streets are just as stony and just as medieval feeling. There are few tourist shops in Eze Village and its biggest attraction is the Exotic Garden which cost 5EUR for entering. 

 

While St. Paul boasts a view of a countryside below its walls, the Mediterranean Sea slaps at the base of Eze. The view from the top of Eze was stunning, even with the overcast sky that stayed throughout most of my visit. This is the first time I have seen sky and sea blend into one with no clear indication of the horizon line. 

The church at Eze is the most alluring church I have seen in all my travels through Europe. The exterior makes the church look more imposing than it actually is. The interior was as small as a chapel in the Medici family, but with the painted woodwork peeling away at the moldings and pews that were worn in all the right places, there was something very unpretentious and genuinely holy about this church.

St. Paul de Vence, France

I like to look at postcards to tell me where to go. Since my guidebooks have no pictures in them, I can only rely on the descriptions to tell me what I want to see. I’ve found that the postcards are nice supplements to the guidebooks as I'm a very visual person. This is how I found out about St. Paul de Vence. I saw images of stone walls and archways and stone paved streets – it all looked very medieval – and felt I must see it for myself. 

St. Paul was every bit as picturesque as it is represented in the postcards. As soon as I entered the town, which is easily accessible by bus from Nice for 1EUR, I was in awe. It was absolutely charming. The streets were indeed paved in stone with designs. It was a really well-maintained village and I had such a nice time poking around.

The view of the country below the village reminded me of Tuscany. It took me about one to two hours to see it all, even with all the stops I made to take photos.