Saying Goodbye to Summer with Blooming Cosmos

The winds have shifted and the cooler breezes have been blowing in to say autumn is here and winter is on its way. With autumn comes some amazingly colorful mountain views but also to delight, the cosmos bloom. It’s a flower that holds on until the end and seems to wave goodbye to summer and welcomes us in to autumn. It’s one of the last flowers to enjoy before the plants begin to wilt and turn brown winter ice and snow make their own beautiful scenes to view.The pinks and white of the blooms conjure up memories of the recent spring and summer fun we had frolicking outside with bare feet running through grass and singing along at outdoor festivals. Soon the ground will be taken over by the browns and greys of winter, but until that happens, it’s time to head out to reminisce on the fun that was had with the last flowers that remain.Cosmos can be spotted throughout the city of Seoul lining the streets and in clumps here and there but, there are some places to head to spot the most at one time. Here is a list of just a few places to enjoy these beautiful flowers. Keep your eyes peeled for other clumps and spots in your area though as these flowers seem to sprout up just about anywhere.

If you want to stay in Seoul:

Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Where: Olympic Park Station, exit 3. The flower field is in the southernmost corner of the park.

Mangwon Hangang Park (망원한강공원)*

Where: Mapo-gu Office Station, exit 7. Look for steps that lead down to the Hongje Stream. Follow the stream south and where the stream opens up to the Han River, the cosmos will be to the right away from the swimming pool, or headed west.

*The photos in this post were taken here at Mangwon Hangang Park.

Pureun Arboretum (푸른수목원)

Where: Onsu Station, exit 2 or 3 and get local bus 07 to the park.

If you want to head out of Seoul:

Guri Citizen’s Hangang Park (구리한강시민공원)

Where:

829 Topyeong-dong Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do

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Samcheok King’s Cosmos Festival (삼척 왕의 코스모스축제)

When: September 20, 2014 – October 5, 2014

Where: 

Miro-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do

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Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Festival (북천코스모스 메밀축제)

When: September 20, 2014 – October 5, 2014

Where:

1123, Gonbuk-ro, Bukcheon-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

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