Day 1, Friday May 19th

Outside the house. (note the clock time is off because it’s EST, not Korea time à add 13 hours)

Milling around before a walk

Outside of a Buddhist monastary

House way in the background

Touring Insadong

Checking out a traditional Korean wedding in progress (ironic huh)

In front of Korean National Treasure #2, a huge stone padoga. We did eventually see National Treasure #1, Namdaemum, the southern gate.

These trees just crack me up.

May 20^th

Just moments after the engagement

You can never have too many post engagement pictures

Going to Il-Sung-Sa in Puk-han-san , a Buddhist temple after the engagement. A good way to enjoy nature and bless our family and friends.

Not sure if photographs are allowed inside the temple area, so we posed just outside.

A crazy looking house on the way home, which I would describe as “final fantasy house.”

Relaxing at home after the walk.

“Wow, I can’t believe I got engaged today!”

“Wow, I can’t believe my brother is engaged.”

“ My son’s engaged!”

We had a nice family dinner that night (sabina’s our photographer)

Dan’s mom had a neat ritual. Candles are tied ….

We each cut a wick …

Now to light the candles

The happy couple.

Cheers to the happy couple! (oops the wind knocked the lights out)

Cheers everyone

Day 3, May 21, Incidently Dan’s birthday

More pics in front of the house

The extended family

Yay, presents!

Alicia also got a present, a Mayo Clinic Cookbook from Sabina, cookbooks are great gifts for Alicia.

Yum, Ice cream cake. June also approves of ice cream cake.

My uncle’s family

Day 4, Traveling to Kyoto Japan

Not the bullet train, but still a pretty fast train, 73 mins, to Kyoto from Kansai Airport.

Outside the Kyoto Station. Anime makes its first appearance, in the form of Astroboy. Kyoto tower can be seen too. Unfortunately the photographer isn’t skilled at the camera yet.

They have kimonos in the hotel!

It is indeed a happy terrace.

More of Kyoto station. Massive huge, lots of food and shops.

2^nd Kyoto day.

Lots of cool temples.

Inside the largest wooden structure in the world.

Unlike Europe. Don’t drink the free flowing water.

Japan is so clean.

The shogun’s castle.

This girl’s school assignment was to practice English with an American tourist (seriously). Even the picture was part of the assignment.

Nothing like sushi in Japan, 14 plates costed $17. Unbelievable

The Imperial Palace requires advanced notice for visits. I’ll have to remember that for next tme.

The Takuyaki EXPERIENCE! Go to one when you’re in Japan. You’ll understand why its an EXPERIENCE.

Day 3 in Kyoto

More temples, some under a 10 year reconstruction.

Visiting a very beautiful shrine, perhaps better than any of the temples we saw.

Those Japanese children feeding fish and ducks were so cute!

In front of the Mana Tree.

See the bee?

Beware of the bee. (also can be seen in the background on a high res photo). Needless to say, it’s a huge bee.

My grandfather went to Kyoto University Law School, Class of ~1932.

Clock tower existed in some form when my grandfather went to school.

Takuyaki was such an EXPERIENCE, we did it again.

Outside a small river (manmade) in Seoul.

Kwon’s playing soccer

Gotta have sushi on the last day with my dad.

Cost of bit more than Japan, but still worth it.

Alicia learns how to cook Korean, including 6 kinds of kimchi and various stews.