Gwangalli Bridge

Because so much of my life lately has been art-making, I thought it might be fun to do a series of posts sharing some of the inspiration/references I’ve used for my illustrations. Thus, combining what my blog was primarily before (travel) and what it’s maybe becoming? Or at least what bridging the gap a little between the two worlds. And what better to bridge a gap, than with an actual bridge. :) Let’s start with this illustration of my beloved, Busan and its famous Gwangalli Bridge.

The story

My boyfriend and I met while living in Busan, South Korea and there's this great part of town called Millak. In Millak, you can buy fresh fish from the market and snacks and drinks from the convenience store to have a picnic near the water. My boyfriend and I went here on our second date and had so much fun!

The area everyone picnics on is concrete and it gets pretty busy at night but it's only a short walk from the beach. For the purposes of this illustration, I decided to combine the the areas of Millak and Gwangali Beach. (People also picnic on the beach, but when I think of raw fish picnics, I think of Millak :)

Although I didn’t live close to the beach…

It was one of the first places I visited when I moved to Busan. As a newcomer to this beach city in a country I didn’t know much about, it was an obvious choice for exploration within my first couple of weeks.

I moved to Korea in February, so it wasn’t exactly beach weather but the air was crisp and nice and beachgoers were enjoying it nonetheless.

In summer though, the beach really comes alive. On busy days, you can get lost in a sea of umbrellas.

Which brings me to bridge!

Gwangan Beach is one of the two most popular beaches in Busan. The second is Haeundae Beach not too far away. Both have their charms but I think the bridge (and the popular expat bars/restaurants near) would bring us here most of the time.

Millak is a couple of subway stops away from Gwangan Beach.

But easily walkable. To be honest, I had never been there before dating my boyfriend, Rob, because I was kind of intimidated by the idea of ordering raw fish with very low Korean language abilities and never thought to suggest it to Korean friends or others who could speak it better than me.

But I’m so glad he took me, because it turned out to be great!

People eat and drink with the Gwangalli bridge and their silvery picnic mats glowing in the night. I imagine what friends are talking about, and where they were before and after chowing down on fish and soju.

The second and last time I went to Millak was for a semi-going away party for Rob and I when we were leaving the country. A group of us walked there from the beach and divvied up the tasks of going to the fish market, to the mart (convenience store) and securing a spot to sit.

Green onion pajeon 파전 (Korean pancake), hoe 회 (raw fish), soju, rice, dried seaweed, and snacks make for a most excellent time.

So the Gwangalli Bridge is an important part of the Busan landscape.

It always warms my heart and fills me with nostalgia to think about my time with it and my friends in Korea. Here are some more memories of our beloved bridge.