Most of last week saw me teaching Weather Report, undoubtedly recalling memories of Melissa the weathergirl on good old KHS-TV. At the beginning of each class, after teaching the kids about seasons, I went around the room and asked each student what his or her favorite season was. Very few of them said fall. Now, I’m a sucker for autumn, but maybe that’s what happens when the tree in your front yard looks like this every September/October:
Holler, prettiest tree on Sawkill Ruby
Imagine virtually every tree in the Hudson Valley looking just like this one. Imagine driving over the Hudson River and seeing millions of them covering the mountains. That should explain why I love upstate New York in the fall.
Right, I got distracted. Anyway, I love autumn, and Erin does as well. We decided to carpe diem on one of the last nice days this fall and check out Olympic Park, site of the 1988 Olympics. There was some sort of festival going on, which meant lots of Korean people. Lots of Korean people=lots of cute Korean kids!
Small child channeling OJ Simpson
The Seoul Olympics were kind of a big deal, as 1988 marked only the second Olympic Games held in an Asian nation.
Boycotted by several nations, including North Korea, Seychelles, Ethiopia and Cuba, the games drew deserved world attention to Seoul. Nothing crazy happened, a la the 1972 Munich games, but a bunch of doves were killed by the eternal flame.
Is this burning an eternal flame? Yep, I'm playing The Bangles as I write this blog entry.
There really isn’t a whole lot to say about the park, other than that it was so nice and refreshing to get out of the gritty, polluted city and breathe some fresh air. I’ve got this disgusting cough and sore throat that won’t seem to quit, and according to what some of the other teachers tell me, both are results of the high levels of air pollution here.
The park itself really is gorgeous, and a definite recommendation for anyone traveling to Seoul.
Flags overlooking the pond
View across the pond
Go pink camera, go!!
A "soda beverage" called Milkis? That's just gross.
I can't get over how sickly I look...stupid Seoul pollution. Oh, and holllller at the camera case I unsuccessfully hid under my scarf
Two ajimas enjoying the fall foliage
Mountains and rice fields and Asians, oh my!
Immediately after this, we had a great leaf fight
Yep, I broke my no-chain-coffee-shops rule because I felt like total crap and needed a pick-me-up. This photo is dedicated to you, Andrea Grossman.
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November 2, 2008 at 7:29 am
Ariel
1. I also miss autumn in upstate NY. The colorful trees, the crunchy leaves, the tasty apples, the jolly pumpkins, etc. Sigh.
2. I hear you on the pollution front. I haven’t been able to breathe normally since I got to Bombay, and I have a cold every three weeks, it seems.
3. At least you get to wear a scarf! Is the weather cool-ish??? It’s still sooooooooooooo hot here!
November 3, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Jess
Sorry to hear about the pollution sickness. That doesn’t sound like a fun time.
But those are some awesome pictures and it looked like you had a blast. My only question is…where are the peace signs you usually rock in all your pictures lol!