[A day trip to Incheon] Enjoy Spring at Sinsomodo Island

Normally, Spring begins in late March on the land, and begins in early April in the island. Often, the spring flowers are in full bloom in the island at the same time when the spring flowers on the land start to fall (due to rain). Thus, it is good to go for trekking to feel the full bloom of spring in the island.

In this post, we will introduce spring trekking at the three islands of Incheon namely Sindo, Sido and Modo.

When someone mention about island, it feels like it is far away and difficult to get there. However, you can get to Shinsimodo Island from taking the ferry at Sammok Dock (Yeongjongdo Island) and it brings you to Sindo Dock in just 10 minutes. This will be a perfect one day trip in Incheon!

Passengers ferry departing from Sammok Dock operates 13 times from 6:50 a.m. to 8:10 p.m. Ticket purchase has to be done at least 5 minutes before departure, so it is recommended for you to arrive about 30 minutes before the desired boarding time. You can't board the ferry without wearing a mask (due to COVID-19 prevention). Moreover, you can't buy tickets for more than 5 people.

Sinsimodo Island, which is also know as the 'Three Brother Islands', connects the three islands namely Sindo, Sido, and Modo via the Yeongyo road. If you came via the car ferry, you will get off at the Sindo dock. You just have to walk a little to the left from the Sindo dock, and you will come to the Waterfront Park.

There is a deck installed at the waterfront park so you can enjoy walking on the sea. In addition, it is also recommended to walk along the trail and enjoy the view of the boat leaving the dock. You will be able to smell the sea as the wind blows, which you can feel a different kind of traveling.

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For those who are not familiar with trekking, it can be tiring to walk around Sinsimodo Island. If that is the case, you can take the public bus to tour around the city. However, since the bus interval time could be long, we also recommend you to rent bicycle, electric scooter or family bike at rental station near Sindo dock since you have limited time in one day to visit all the places.​

The Sindo Cherry Blossom Road, which you will find on the way to the city, is a must-visit attraction  when you come here in Spring. As you walk, you may feel the petals falling as the spring wind blows gently, and you can definitely experience the spring season here.​

When we visited in early April, the leaves started growing at the end of the long-stretched cherry blossom tree branch before all the petals fall. When all the flowers are gone, the green leaves grow thicker and display a fresh appearance.

When you walk on the Yeongyo bridge towards Sido Island, you will be able to spot the peaks of Manisan Mountain in Ganghwa Island that seems quite close.

Of course, you can't miss the beautiful Sugi beach, which has a beautiful sandy beach. Despite the fact that the sea water is full, the wide white sandy beach are able to captivate the visitors. At the end of the sandy beach, there is a shading area where you can relax and enjoy the sea quietly.

It's fun to see clams and conch shells in white that are turning around in the sea.. The waves are not strong and the sea water is shallow, so you can enjoy Sugi beach with barefoot.

At the entrance of Sugi Beach, there are convenience facilities such as public toilet, sink and showers. Currently, sinks and showers are not available to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The building next to it has a cafe and a convenience store. If you feel hungry, you can have a simple meal.

To get to Modo Island, you need to cross the bridge again. In Modo, there is a place called Park Joogi, and you will be welcomes by the flower path along the stones. The flower blooms from May to July, thus you can enjoy it from late spring to summer.

Park Joo-gi is named after the southern root of Modo, and its shape looks like a bat. It felt a little mysterious as the pine tree grows alone and providing some sight of greenness in between the rocks. The Modo sculpture built next to it is a popular photo zone here. If you come here at the right time, you will be able to take pictures with airplane taking off into the sky.

The last stop for spring trekking at Sinsimodo is the Baemikkumi Sculpture Park. It is the place where sculptor Lee Il-ho's private studio is located, and his work is displayed on the lawn in the front yard. The green grasses, clear sea and sky make the art work to stand out even more.

The wooden sculpture seen in between the iron sculptures remains in place regardless the tides changes. Floating boats blend in the horizon to form a piece of art work. Let's stay on the beach for a little while and enjoy some relaxation time.

We walked in Sinsomodo Island where Spring has added color to the calm blue sea. If you want to have a getaway from the city and enjoy a different scenery, why don't you visit the Sinsimodo Island? 

Please wear a mask when you visit the island and follow COVID-19 preventive guidelines such as keeping social distancing, washing hands frequently, obeying cough etiquettes, etc.

[Information about Sinsomodo Island]

 1.Getting there: At AREX Unseo Station, take bus #307 ▶ Get off at Sammok Dock bus stop, walk 4 mins

 2. Address: 55 Yeongjonghaeanbuk-ro 847beon-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon

 3. Contact number: +82-32-751-2211

 4. Price: Ferry fare - Adult KRW 2,000, Child KRW 1,000  / Entrance Fee for Baemikkumi Sculpture Park - KRW 2,000

 5. Rental fee: (1 hour) bicycle KRW 10,000, electric scooter KRW 15,000, family bike KRW 30,000 (it differs depending on the company)

[Finding King Cheoljong in Ganghwa Island] Yongheunggung Palace and House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong

The tvN drama "Mr. Queen" ended in February after many controversial issues. The story is based on real-life figures such as Cheoljong and the royal family, but the distortion of history seem to be inappropriate to the viewers. Although the actors' good acting skills have calmed down many controversial issues and it ended up to be an interesting drama, it depends on the viewers to consider about the right history. In this post, we are going to find the Ganghwado Young Master - Cheoljong. We visited the Yongheunggung Palace and House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong, where you can find traces of Cheoljong in Ganghwado Island.

#1 Yongheunggung Palace

The first place we visited was Yongheunggung Palace, where King Cheoljong, the 25th king of the Joseon Dynasty, stayed until he was 19. Last year, this place was closed due to COVID-19, but it was opened once again to welcome the visitors.

If you want to be a little more adventurous, we recommend the Course #14 of Ganghwa Nadeul-gil (Yongheunggung Palace → Cheongha Mineral Spring → Namjangdae → Chanwoo Mineral Spring→ House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong). Before we start our journey, let's not forget to take the stamp at the Ganghwa Tourism Platform near Yongheunggung Palace!

At the entrance of Yongheunggung Palace, you can find a notice board that gives information about the notices and events, as well as the Ganghwa Goryeo Palace stamp tour box. Tip: prepare a small notebook for this Ganghwa trip. This is because the Nadeul-gil and Dulle-gil are well prepared so there are stamps provided at the cultural properties and attractions that you will visit. It is fun to keep various stamps as memory of your trip. 

This place is rather small but when we looked at the tile-roofed house, it felt like it is nice to be living in Ganghwa. However, it was built after King Cheoljong ascended to the throne. They said that the original house was just the same as the other thatched houses. After King Cheoljong became the king, he renovated the original residence and renamed it to "palace". Yongheunggung Palace that quite small but has an antique atmosphere is separated into inner hall and annex hall.

When you walk around in Yongheunggung Palace, you will see the Ganghwa Anglican Cathedral on top of the hill. As seen in the above picture, the Ganghwa Anglican Cathedral is actually quite near, so you can just take the stairs up and tour around the cathedral as well.

Not only the exterior, but also the fireplace and well remain just like how it used to be. It allows visitors to experience the old traditional house in Korea. As mentioned earlier, the building structure with servants quarters (haengrangchae), women room (anchae) and men room (sarangchae) is like a maze. As you walk through the small door, you can feel the atmosphere of the tile-roofed house.

The spring season in Ganghwa starts a bit later than other places. When we visited this place at the end of March, the spring flowers were just blooming slowly. Yongheunggung Palace is filled with flowers such as daffodils and magnolia which was ready to bloom. If you visit this place early April to mid April, you can enjoy the Spring in full bloom at Ganghwa Island.

​[Information about Yongheunggung Palace]

 

1. Getting there: At AREX Geomam Station, take bus #90  ▶ Get off at Ganghwa Bus Terminal, take bus #10 ▶ Get off at Ganghwa Police Station, walk 3 mins 

2. Address : 16-1 Dongmunan-gil 21beon-gil, Ganghwa-eup, Gwanghwa-gun, Incheon

3. Operating hours: 9:00 – 18:00 daily

#2  House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong 

The next attraction is the House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong.

This is the last stop of Ganghwado Young Master's first love road. It makes people curious here. Why did the royal family of Cheoljong came to Ganghwado Island? During King Jeongjo's 10th year reign, in year 1786, Cheoljong's family was exiled to Ganghwado Island due to a rebellion incident.

Cheoljong was the third son of Jeongye Daewongun (or known as Grand Prince Jeongye). He is also the uncle of King Heonjong. The Ganghwado Young Master's first love road is also a walking course based on the love story between the Won-beom and Bong-yi.

At the House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong, you can get the stamp to keep a memory on your Ganghwa trip. If you look at the picture above, the stamp that looks blur is the Yongheunggung Palace stamp, but it is sad that the ink was dried up so it was not properly stamped.

This is the house where King Cheoljong's maternal uncle, Yeom Bo-gil, lived. In 1853, on the 4th year of King Cheoljong's reign, the governor of Ganghwa, Jeong Gi-Se, ordered to reconstruct this place. When it comes to a nobleman's house, people usually think of a magnificent tile-roofed house. Therefore, the house for the Maternal Family of Cheoljong was also built according to the rules, and is characterized by its elegant and antique style.

Originally, it is a H-shaped house with women's quarters and men's quarters on the left and right, but some parts of the servants quarters were torn down, so it left in the "ㄷ" shape. In fact, it is not easy to guess what shape it used to be based on the explanation, thus you should look around the house yourself to find out more.

One interesting point is that normally at the cultural properties, it has a sign showing "Please don't climb" so you can only take a look at it, but at this place, it says "Please take off your shoes and come up". You may take off your shoes and enter both the women's quarters and men's quarters. There is a light so you can also switch it on to brighten up the room.

The highlight of this place is Numaru. When you enter the men's quarter and open the other door, you will see Numaru outside the door. The view here is breathtaking!

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please wear a mask and follow the preventive guidelines like as keeping social distancing, following cough etiquette, etc.

​[Information about the House for the Maternal Family of King Cheoljong]

 

1. Getting there: At AREX Geomam Station, take bus #70  ▶ Get off at Daejanggan Village, walk 7 mins 

2. Address: 46-1 Cheoljongoega-gil, Seonwon-myeon, Gwanghwa-gun, Incheon

3. Contact number: +82-32-930-3627