April 3: In the early morning, we departed from Seoul by taking South Korea's state-of-the-art high-speed train to reach the ancient central city of Andong. After storing our luggage at the bus station, we went to the tourist office at the station to find out the information on the local transportation to the Andong Hahoe Village. Knowing that we won't be able to catch the bus to Hahoe Village in a few minutes, we went to the café in the station for a cup of Latte and a pastry and took a rest. We hopped on a local bus one hour later. In most cities in Korea, we can use T-Card we bought in Seoul for public transportation. We got off at the ticket office of the village, purchased the tickets, and boarded the free shuttle taking us to the village.

Once we got off the shuttle, we were greeted by a breathtaking display of cherry blossoms on the causeway stretching alongside the river. Our timing was impeccable, as it was spring, and the cherry blossoms had bloomed in their full glory. Rather than heading directly to the village, we decided to take a stroll along the walkway. The beauty of the cherry blossoms washed away any fatigue accumulated from our long journey, leaving us rejuvenated and captivated by the enchanting scenery of Korea's renowned cherry blossoms.

The Hahoe Village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hahoe Village was established in the 14th-15th century by the Ryu clan, a renowned Korean family that produced prominent scholars and statesmen. With the village surrounded by water on three sides and backed by the scenic Flower Mountain, it truly is a place of excellent Feng Shui. The village's traditional tiled and thatched houses have been remarkably well-preserved to this day, and there are still a few residents living there. As we explored the village, we were pleased to see the meticulous restoration work, resembling what we had seen in Korean dramas. There were not too many tourists, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Our impression of Hahoe Village was quite positive, and it is definitely worth a visit.

After we visited Hahoe Village, we took the bus back to the bus station, picked up our luggage, and hopped on the taxi to go to the city center of Andong, where our hotel was located. After a brief rest, we headed to the nearby market in the old town.

The most famous Andong dish is Andong Jjimdak, a savory stewed chicken. Next to the market, an entire street is dedicated to serve the chicken dish, named Andong Jjimdak Street. This street is lined with over a dozen restaurants specializing in this dish. The stewed chicken was essentially braised chicken pieces with a few potatoes, carrots, and plenty of potato noodles. Each restaurant had several stoves set up outside for on-the-spot cooking. We ordered a small portion, but to our surprise, it arrived in an enormous pot that startled us. We couldn't even imagine what the large portion would look like. It felt like each portion was equivalent to a whole chicken. The taste was truly delightful, with a hint of spiciness and sweetness. In addition to the stewed chicken, Andong cuisine featured fried salted fish and Soju (Rice Wine). However, the shops only sold chicken and had no salted fish. While they did have rice wine, a bottle of it would be way too much for the two of us to handle, who don't drink alcohol. So we decided not to order it. We'll have to seize another opportunity to try salted fish in the future.

April 4: Before leaving for the train station, we took the opportunity to explore the captivating Andong Old Town and Traditional Cultural Museum near our hotel and see a Buddhist temple in the morning. The street was quiet, and we took pictures of the mural along the road. Then we called a taxi to the train station, had coffee and huge egg tart at the station cafe, and embarked on a morning journey to Busan, South Korea's second-largest city.

4/3: 一早离开了首尔乘坐韩国最先进的高速火车来到中部古城安东，把行李寄放在公交车站里之后，乘坐当地的公交车来到被列为世界遗产名录的河口村参观。春暖花开，正好碰上樱花盛开的时候，两人慢步在长堤上把这几天长途旅行带来的疲劳抛在脑后。河口村是建于公元十四 - 十五世纪的韩国柳氏家族的村落，在那里出了大儒家和宰相。这小村三面环水，背靠花山，真是风水宝地。村内的瓦房和草房均完好保存至今。现在还有少许人住在那里。我们在村里走走，小村修复得不错，就像韩剧中看到那样。游客不算多，非常安静。对河口村印象挺好，值得一去。

参观完河口村后，坐公交车回车站取了行李， 叫了出租车来到安东城中的旅馆。

小息后，去旅馆附近的安东炖鸡小街上吃韩国有名的美食 - 安东炖鸡。这条街上有十几家专做炖鸡的店，我们点了份小的炖鸡，结果上来一特大盆，吓我们一跳，真不知道点大份的会是什么样的盆。炖鸡实际上就像是红烧鸡块，加少许土豆，胡萝卜，还有许多红薯粉条。每家店外放几个炉子，当场现烧。感觉每份就是一只鸡，估计我们要了一只小鸡，吃了不少，味道还真不错，有点小辣有点甜味。除了炖鸡，安东美食还有炸咸鱼和烧酒，店里只卖鸡没有咸鱼，烧酒倒是有，可一瓶烧酒对我们二个不会喝酒的人来说肯定喝不完，所以就没点。咸鱼也只能以后有机会再尝试了。

4/4: 上午坐火车去釜山市，韩国第二大城市。在坐出租车去火车站之前在旅馆旁边的安东老城及传统文化博物馆区转了一圈，那里的建筑非常漂亮。在火车站的咖啡馆吃了早点之后， 登上去釜山的火车。