Icheon Ceramic Village

Last weekend Dan and I caught a bus to Icheon and met up with Adam and Elisa (friends from ICS in Toronto) for a weekend jam-packed with ...pottery! I loved it all. There were various designs and styles ranging from the green polished Goryeo celadon to heavier and more rustic earthenware.
Even though the practical side of me thought that buying any pottery in Korea would be stupid, since it will more than likely crack in the passage home, I couldn't resist buying at least one piece to decorate our new apartment. We ended up getting two vases (a matching pair), as well as some wooden pieces and hanji crafts for possible wedding present (for the many weddings we are missing this summer).
Here are some of the 'twin vases' similar to the ones we got. I have yet to take a photo of our pottery, but it's coming!

After eating dinner at a Kalbi restaurant, we took a stroll around the lake. We were delighted to discover turtles swimming around along with the giant goldfish!


After it got dark, we walked around downtown exploring the markets a bit. We had some frozen yogurt at the 'Red Mango' and then lounged in a jazz bar for the rest of the evening.

Hae Gang Ceramics Museum

The next day we spent the morning exploring a small ceramics museum, and then took a walk around the grounds which had several traditional kilns (and judging by the makeshift seating areas and cardboard footpaths, they seem to be still in use today), a huge chimney with broken pieces of celadon pottery at the base, and lovely old-style buildings.

21st Icheon Ceramic Festival

After we went to the museum, we spent the rest of the afternoon at a ceramic festival called "Reshaping Asia," which featured hundreds of potters selling and displaying their work. There was too much to see! There was everything ranging from elegant to tacky. Check out this ceramic-plated car...

One the many displays, with potter's stalls in the background

Giant ceramic covered boy.

Towards the end of the hot afternoon we drank iced green tea in little cups that we got to take home with us.
All along the walkway around the lake there were sculptures from all over the world. This one is from Belgium.

Children's Day

Children's Day is a South Korean national holiday celebrated on May 5. It was founded by the Korean children's writer Pang Chong-hwan in 1923. So on Friday ELP treated all the students to chocolate milk and 'sugar bread': what looks like a hot-dog bun with white icing in the middle. Yummy!

May Day