Bongeun-sa

We decided to venture out by going to a nearby Buddhist temple, Bongeun-sa.  Despite the rain coming down, we grabbed the umbrellas and took off to the nearest subway station (Samgakji).  After a couple stops we switched lines (or trains).

 You may note, out the window, that the subway train is above ground here.  That is because we had just crossed over the Han river on the way to our subway stop, Samsung station in the Gangnam area.

 After emerging from the subway, this building was immediately to our right.  I thought it looked cool, so naturally, I took a pic.

 Nixon quickly learned that the proper way to put down the umbrella is to pull down on the handle and to not push on the articulating rods.  Obviously, he was disappointed that he broke his new $2 umbrella.  What a face....and probably my favorite pic of the day!

 Luckily, Mom was there to cheer him up and save the day.

 On our way there was a construction site that was being shielded by this huge 'Gangnam Style' sign.  Of course, the kids took the opportunity show off their own Gangnam style skills.

 After a short walk, we arrived at our final destination, Bongeun-sa.  This location is literally in the middle of the city.

 After a short history lesson at the information board...

...Nixon lead the way onto the temple grounds.

 

 Everyone must pass through this gate, passing by the guardians of the temple as depicted in the painting below, to gain access to the grounds.  There were other statues within the gate, however, I did not get any pictures of them.

After walking through the gate, the sounds of the city disappeared and instead were replaced with the calming chant from a monk who was leading a congregation in prayer.  On either side of us were these awesome sites.

 After walking under what seemed to be the main prayer hall, we were greeted by hundreds of white hanging lanterns that filled the entire area.  Not only were the sights visually stunning, but the sounds from the chanting monk and smells from burning candles and incense elevated the experience to whole other level which simple cannot be captured on camera.

 After leaving the hall of lanterns, we were surrounded by beautiful architecture, scenery and sounds of nature.

 We than made our way to another area.  After walking up these steps, we could begin to capture a glimpse of what we came to see.

 As always, pictures don't quite seem to give justice to the overall magnitude and size of this structure.  

As you can tell, Beth is totally into her new found technology and not the sights.  Just kidding!  However, this is a cool shot taken by Zane.

 I like this shot because it helps show just how large this statue really is.

 The semi-circle that surrounds the statue is lined with engraved marble.  It is a huge wall and these engravings are about the size of my pinky's finger nail.

 Here are a few more random pics!

 Pic of our AWESOME kids as we were heading out.  Of course, no trip would be complete if we did not end up in some random restaurant eating some truly remarkable food.  This was a spot that specialized in Ramen noodles (not the American store bought kind).  All I can say is, it was gooooood!