Entertainment for during the train ride, warm clothes, and a big appetite!

This new years, one of my biggest wishes came true; seeing the first sunrise of the year. As someone who has lived in Korea for years, a trip to the east during new years day had been on my bucket list for ages, but I never really found the right timing until now. This whole trip started at Seoul station, at exactly 10pm. Given that this trip was a 0 night 2 day trip, I had gotten plenty of sleep the night before. My mode of transportation was the education train, a train which drives slowly so passengers are able to enjoy the views while traveling across the country. This all accompanied by all sorts of fun activities such as games and an interactive radio show. After 6 hours or so, we had reached Donghae. 2 more hours until sunrise made for the perfect time to walk around Jangho Harbour and the beaches surrounding it. The quiet night paired perfectly with the clear skies above. While listening to the waves down below, more and more people started to gather around me. People who were also waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon. As the clouds started changing colour from dark blue, to pink, to orange, all of us knew it would not be long until we got our first glances of the new sun. As the sun finally made its way over the mountains, the sky turned almost gold. Me and my friends gathered to make our newyears wishes while taking in the breath taking views. The sun almost looked like a ball of new life, a soul of sorts. As the sun rose, I made my way to the restaurant, where my breakfast was waiting for me. The menu was ofcourse no different than rice cake soup; THE meal one must have on new years day. In Korean culture, the white soup symbolizes a clean start of the year, while the ricecakes symbolize a long life (while some say it symbolizes prosperity and money!), which made it perfect for this trip. After breakfast, we moved to Donghae hot spring to freshen up and rinse off the bad energy from last year. The sauna was nice and warm, and due to the amazing atmosphere among our group, we were all able to enjoy it even more. After the hotspring, it was time for our last stop of the day, Mukho fish market and Donghae sky valley. I started by exploring the latter, as I was still full from my breakfast. The sky valley was located about 10 minutes away from the fish market. The road followed the meandering coastline. While enjoying the blue skies and waves, the bridges of the sky valley came into view. As a giant snake, they twisted between two hills on either side. Due to being short on time, I only managed to check out the bridge over the ocean, which also offered stunning views. As for the marker, it was mostly filled with fresh and very much alive seafood. Altough it looked delicious, it would be hard to carry it back home with me, so instead I had some fried shrimps for lunch. For dessert, to honor my own heritage, I had Korean twisted doughnuts, as they are very similar to the food we eat on new years where I am from. Overall, I would recommend this trip to anyone interested in enjoying korean culture and a fun day at the ocean!