Touch Korea Tour / Day 2: Paju: A Trendsetter in Art (파주)

We headed for Paju on Day 2 to a place called Provence Village (프로방스마을) in Gyeonggi-do, a popular tourist spot for Koreans which is designed/developed - (1996) keeping in view the real Provence in France. 

It was a very lovely day with crispy wind and a beautiful autumn sky -  ideal for any outdoor activity and we were lucky to be in Provence  village - which is a shopping enclave with many restaurants and shops - both by well known international brands and local brands.

The  location of Provence is unique - due to Paju's proximity with the North Korean border, one can witness heavily guarded, barbed wired beaches  with combat-ready soldiers on patrol and a long, never ending chain of military check-post gave it a very unique touch.

Japanese friends looking at the tourist map!

There was a huge bakery and cafe, a couple of branded fashion shops, a herb garden restaurant and workshop. 

 I have no idea if other members of our Touch Korea Award winners were able to see a small but really beautiful temple 10 minutes away from the parking in Provence village - on a small hill.

I took some pictures of it in haste and joined the team members.

Around Provence Village, there are also many other attractions such as Heyri Art Valley (헤이리 문화예술마을), Paju English Village, Paju Book City (파주출판단지) and Odu Mountain Unification Observatory.

 

Afterwards we headed for lunch – the menu was Bap Ssam  (based on rich variety of organically grown vegetables) but in addition, Bulgogi and Korean style kebab was also served. We had ice-cream for dessert and then we moved to Hyeri Village for a necklace making workshop. 

By the way, I would highly recommend everyone to sign up for buzz KOREA and Korea Tourism Organization who were the SOLE SPONSORS of this entire trip.

buzz KOREA (http://www.ibuzzkorea.com/eng/) is an online community platform that allows users to share and upload content about Korea and its tourism. buzz KOREA members share their blog posts, photos and videos about their stories and experiences to help others discover the hidden attractions of Korea.

The “Touch Korea Tour” campaign (http://www.ibuzzkorea.com/touchkoreatour/eng) provides participants with the opportunity to tangibly experience Korea in person. Participants of this tour travel throughout Korea, exploring the various attractions and sights of the country. In turn, they help spread other travelers find unique destinations and activities to try.