Knowing the meanings of flowers may be a fun – even trivial – thing to do. Contemplating on the yearly flower blooms and turning your head upside down to make it a “once-a-year-only” phenomenon adds gratitude to the college life. Updating the playlists on your music player with music that suits the season and the ambience may be one way to give daily routines a pinch of freshness. But why stop there?
After two years, Daejeon suddenly seemed to me to be the place to explore. As someone who has lived abroad for almost half of his life, I found myself bemused at the fact that I have unintentionally locked myself up in campus and at the fact that one’s point of view could change so drastically over a mere two-year college dormitory life where everything is nearby. There are many places in Daejeon that deserve more attention from KAIST students than do the cherry blossom trees, albeit stunningly wonderful, on campus. Here is a small selection – by no means exhaustive of all possible options – of places to visit in Daejeon before the last petal lands.
▲ Daejeon O-World's Tulip Festival is home to a largess of tulips as well as other spring blossoms | Daejeon City Homepage
Nearest to our campus is Yurim Park. Yes, it is the park beneath the Gapcheon Grand Bridge that you cross over when you take bus to Dunsan. However, passing by it from time to time does not diminish its value. On the contrary, taking some time to visit Yurim Park and relaxing there may be one of the best ways to escape the KAIST campus and temporarily break away from the ties and obligations you have with the university. In fact, the city of Daejeon actually promotes Yurim Park as one of its tourist attractions all year round; it occupies 57,000 square-meters with some 64,000 trees and double that number of various vegetations. Around this time of the year, it is especially popular among families from inside and outside Yuseong for an afternoon stroll or a weekend day-out. No other place comes closer to Yurim Park for its proximity and its spring sensation, not to mention all the flowers – probably the only contenders of those in campus – blooming for those who seek them. Take your bike, or walk on foot from our Main Gate (E1) towards Chungnam National University. Then, turn left just before Yuseong District Office, and across Eoeun bridge lies Yurim Park.
Just a tad farther from campus is Hanbat Arboretum. Despite it being the largest manmade urban arboretum in Korea, it is by all means the most calming place to visit when you happen to be in good weather, are about to take midterm examinations, or are hesitant to forego all the spring flowers – in short, now. Having once lived right across Hanbat Arboretum in a mid-rise flat, I grew fond of watching people zigzagging through the trails in the arboretum. Nearby bonuses include Daejeon Museum of Art and Daejeon Culture & Arts Center. Take Bus 104 from Main Gate, and unboard at Mugunghwa Apartments. Or, take Bus 604 from East Gate (N0), and unboard at Daejeon Government Complex. Either way, walk toward Mannyeon crossroads, and turn right. With the Daejeon Culture & Arts Center and Daejeon Museum of Art on your left, keep walking for about 10 minutes. On your left is the entrance to Hanbat Arboretum.
The last, and probably the greatest, is some distance away from the campus. Daejeon O-World may be better known to be an amusement park. Well, there is no denying that, but who said amusement parks cannot have Spring flowers in them? Unlike the other two mentioned above, this place has an admission fee (12,000 Korean Won). But think this: Flower Land, a part of O-World dedicated to flowers alone, boasts a collection of 200,000 flowers of 85 different species. This spring, O-World is opening a Tulip Festival from April 12 to April 30. If you have more fun buzzing with excitement rather than taking calming walks, try Daejeon’s very own amusement park. Take Bus 104 at the Main Gate and transfer to Bus 301 at Seo-gu Daejeon Health Center. Give it some 40 minutes of bus ride, and unboard at Daejeon Zoo. On your left is Flower Land. Find out more on their website (www.oworld.kr).
