on a weekend trip to ulsan i found myself in gyeongju, the former capital of korea (when it was referred to as "the kingdom of silla" over a thousand years ago). the city, described on it's website as "a museum without walls", is just that, with many symbolic sites and artifacts. what i particularly enjoyed was the temple in Bulguksa, reflecting the former governments patronage of buddhism. i wish time had been on my side (for once!) and i had been able to explore the mountainsides of gyeongju, which lend to a veritable treasure hunt for stone carvings of buddhas and bodhisattvas. however stepping into super mario land and witnessing the gyeongju burial mounds was definitely a treat.
on the bus from bulguksa to gyeongju city i saw an extremely unique building that my friends pointed out in passing. i thought it was so cool that i had to look it up. it's called Gyeongju Tower and is actually shaped like the former Hwanryongsa temple's pagoda. only here's the catch: the building is rectangular and surrounds a negative space that is the shape of the historic pagoda. i think the result is stunning! truly unlike anything i've ever seen...
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