Fresh Eats and a 108 Ft. Tall Buddha

A polite suggestion and a three day weekend lead to the Harrington's enjoying yet another road trip, enjoying a Subway sandwich and touring the temple grounds of Song-ni-san National Park. Having caught wind of a nearby Subway shop on Thursday night, the Harrington's began daydreaming about the delight which is found in fresh baked bread, southwest chipotle sauce and the simplicity of 'eating fresh'. Four days later, they had found directions, called up the Dickerson-Bradford's and loaded up the car en route to Cheongju on October 3, a national holiday in honor of the foundation of Korea (a story which involves lots of garlic, bears, tigers and the son of a god - which is best saved for a later date when all the details are worked out) and set about finding Dream Plus near Cheongju's bus terminal. The building was easier to find than expected and the crew need only wait until 10:30 a.m. before they were able to order their foot-long subs which would later be enjoyed in the crisp, clean October air at the foot of one of South Korea's National Parks.

Continuing on, the couple enjoyed the beauty that is Korea's countryside on the windy roads leading to Songnisan National Park. Known for it's gigantic Golden Buddha built in 1993 and an ancient 5-story wooden Pagoda, Songnisan has numerous visitors throughout the year and a holiday weekend only increased the amount of visitors making the trip. Regardless, the sites were beautiful, the day perfect and the meal prior to wandering the grounds absolutely fantastic! While Korean food does much to please the taste buds of the Harrington duo, not much can beat the satisfaction of a hearty and delicious sandwich which Subway so perfectly provides.

Getting There (Subway): Get to Cheongju's Bus Terminal, either one, whether by bus or car or taxi and look for the Dream Plus building (pictured in the first collage, top left) . It is between the Bus Terminals, near Lotte Mart and a number of nice cafes and restaurants. Subway is on the first floor and opens at 10:30.

Getting There (National Park): Not sure. Most parks have a bus that will go into them. By car you can take National Road 25 from Cheongju or the Expressway 3. Out of Daejeon, take the Expressway or National Road 37. You should see many signs for 속리산. Southern entrance provides views of temple grounds and large Buddha whereas entering on the northern side will provide for less congested hiking opportunities and more picturesque scenes which the Harrington's have now placed on their 'to-do list'.