Late last winter (2019), my boyfriend and I took a fun day trip to a little island called Daebudo. On the way we stopped at a cafe, a look out point, and after going on a hike, we stopped at a delicious kalguksu restaurant before heading home. I figure we all need a little break from COVID-19 news, so today let’s take a little mental escape! Read on to see some photos from this leisurely, beautiful day!
Our first stop of the day was 홍종흔 베이커리. It is a beautiful bakery and cafe in a hanok-style building and they have a wide variety of pastries, breads, and warm drinks.
I chose to try the 앙버터, which is a sweet pastry bread stuffed with sweet red bean paste and of course, a slab of butter. I thought it would be too heavy with so much butter, but it was actually really delicious and I still think about it to this day…..
It was a rather cold day, so I also ordered a piping hot mug of apple cinnamon tea. I was expecting an average sized mug with maybe a tea bag, or some apple jam at the bottom, but instead I received this giant clay mug filled with real apple slices and not one, but TWO fresh cinnamon sticks! Needless to say, I finished every last drop and even nibbled on some of the apple pieces.
My boyfriend caught me snapping the picture on the left. XD
Not only were the food and drinks amazing, but the ambiance of the whole place was cozy and gave off a very traditional Korean vibe. They had beautiful fresh flowers placed throughout, a warm wood interior, and glowing atmospheric lighting all around.
After filling up at the cafe, we packed some pastries to go and headed on to this seaside park and rest stop. There is a tower related to water services, but you can go up to the lookout deck for free to take in the scenery. They even have a glass floor that you can stand on for a trippy view of the ground straight below you. I love tall buildings, viewing decks, etc, but my boyfriend is not as big a fan as me, so he opted to skip the glass floor. (A little too scary for him, I think. ^_^)
Finally, we made our way to the main attraction: Daebudo! There are lots of different trails and paths you can take, but the goal for most visitors is to reach the sunset spot, where, if your timing is right, you can catch the stunning sunset. It was a particularly grueling hike for me, as I’m not very athletic and I wasn’t mentally prepared for such a hike (my boyfriend advertised it as an “easy walk along the beach,” which it certainly was NOT). But after I finished my whining, we eventually made it to the goal destination. It was really beautiful and worth all of the struggle to get there! We took some nice photos but didn’t stick around for the sun to set because we were feeling tired and hungry. So we took a different path back to where we started (which actually was an easy walk along the beach -_-) and enjoyed the ocean views. It wasn’t a super clear evening, but the soft light and colors of a misty evening in Daebudo are still extremely beautiful.
Before heading home, we had to stop at a local restaurant because we were both starving. We found the nearest restaurant we could and went straight in, so I honestly can’t tell you where it is or what it’s called because neither of us remember anything besides being hungry! The restaurant we found served primarily 칼국수 (knife-cut noodles) with seafood, so we ordered a basic meal for two with clams in the broth. They bring out a boiling hot pot of the noodles and give you a glass sand timer so you know when it’s ready to eat. Watching those grains of sand slowly fall down is tough when you’re so hungry! When the time was up, we both chowed down and it was the perfect meal after a long, chilly day.
If you find yourself with the free time to explore a new place near Seoul, I recommend Daebudo! It’s something you can visit within a day and still have plenty of time to enjoy your surroundings and a few pleasant meals.
Thanks for reading! I hope this brought you some peace today. ^-^
~Veronica
홍종흔 베이커르 (cafe and bakery)
252 Beon yeong-ro, Daeya-dong, Gunpo-si, Gyeonggi-do
T-Light 휴게소 (rest stop and park with tower)
Gyeonggi-do, Ansan-si, Danwon-gu, Daebu-dong, 대부황금로
itsveronicaguys 