We visited a dozen or more Buddhist temples when we were in South Korea a few years ago. And every one had long lines of lanterns, stretching the length of a room or a verandah, hung with lanterns that were in their turn hung with prayer intentions. A new perspective on mindfulness.
I’ve messed up. After Busan, we chose Gyeonju, a city so rich in history it’s known as ‘the museum without walls’. I booked us in at a guest house, as I thought, just beyond the edge of the town.
Our hosts kindly came to collect us from the bus station. We left town. We left out-of-town trading estates. We left any form of housing. We left the main road. We started to climb. We saw a sign ‘Gyeonju National Park’. Still we travelled.
And after thirty five minutes we pulled in here. We’re surrounded by forested mountains, by bubbling streams, by tiny smallholdings set into the valleys. There are cicadas, songbirds, slightly officious magpies. There are frogs and fish in the pond, and red and blue dragonflies. There are even some adorable kittens.
Do you really think I’ve messed up?
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
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