The foothills of Dobongsan

It's been five months, and somehow or other we'd totally bypassed that really huge mountain just behind our apartment. Dobong mountain is part of Bukhansan National Park - one of the most popular in Korea. The cold weather has been a perfect excuse not to get up there, but with spring now in full flow I'm not sure we'll be able to use that much longer.

This afternoon we just thought we'd take a bit of a wander, and ended up walking right through the foothills of the mountain. The fresh air and t-shirt temperatures coupled with blooming flowers and crispy fallen leaves made for a much needed stroll away from the groan of traffic from below.

When we reached flat land again, we weren't exactly sure where we were coming out. There was a stream running and a plot of land divided into allotments for people to plant seeds. There were many shabby old buildings with corrugated iron roofs, looking totally out of place next to the high rise apartments in the distance - and these are just down the road from where we live. It was like we'd stepped out of Seoul and into the countryside of Korea.

The flowers and leaves made for a perfectly aimless wander.

Families tend to their seedlings on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

This stream that runs just past our apartments was unrecognisable outside of its city-like surroundings.