A Rainy Day Trip to Daejeon, Korea
Summer has finally arrived here in Korea and has greeted us with a week full of rain, thunder, and lightning. A few Saturdays ago I decided that since it would be raining all day, all over the peninsula, I might as well visit a new city!
I took the bus to Daejeon's Yuseong Bus Terminal and had an uneventful ride that lasted close to three hours because of the rain, as compared to the usual hour and 40 minutes. This put me a little bit behind schedule, but I made up for it by hopping in a taxi to the hot springs rather than waiting for the city bus. Ten minutes later and I was at my first stop: Yuseong Hot Springs.
Located in the north western section of Daejeon, these natural hot springs are the perfect escape from the surrounding city. They are housed in a small stretch of land made into a park, and the day I was there there was some sort of festival going on as well. There are various temperatures you can choose from (I believe there were about 4 different baths) and all you need to do it wash your feet at the washing space first and you're welcome to soak all day (though 15 minutes is the most recommended at a time^^)
Even though it was raining, there were lots of huge umbrellas protecting the seating areas so there were plenty of dry places to sit. It wasn't the most serene place (lots of kids!) but it was a great experience! You can find them here!
It was a bit after noon at this point so I headed to the nearest Kalguksu restaurant to give Daejeon's famous dish a try! I've never had a bad bowl of Kalguksu (hand torn noodle soup) in my life, and this was no different. It was an enormous serving for 6,500won and was perfect for a rainy day. The place was crowded but the servers didn't give me a hard time about taking up a table as a solo eater. You can find 온천칼국수 here!
From here I hopped on a bus heading east to grab some coffee in a quiet cafe. I went to Moon Bang Gu (달방구) and fell in love immediately! Their coffee is from a well known Korean company, Fritz, and their baked goods looked amazing! I had a soy latte and it was perfect for a cozy rainy day. The interior was adorable and all the knickknacks made it so fun to poke around. I particularly loved the bookshelf filled with VHS tapes of films I loved as a kid!
The cafe is in a bit of a random area, but you can find them here!
Next I headed to Daejeon's downtown and visited the Museum of Modern History. Photos werent allowed but I highly suggest taking a peek. There wasnt much English information but there were lots of photos and old maps from the Japanese colonization period that aren't easy to see in most museums here in Korea. Plus, the building was built in the 30s and the architecture was really rare for Korea! You can find it here!
After that, I walked through the Jungangro Underground Shopping Center which is actually awesome and filled with cool boutiques and thrift stores! I walked through this and headed to Sky Walk shopping area to see what they had to offer. Daejeon's famous bakery, Sungsimdang (성심당) had a huge line as expected so I just looked longingly through the window and headed back to Jungangro to get some ddeokbokki before going to Daejeon Bus Terminal to go home.
Overall, Daejeon was a fun rainy day adventure but I wish I could have visited in better weather. There are so many parks and fun outdoor activities I will have to come back for :)