When I left Jeju Island, I flew directly to Daegu in the center of South Korea. This is the country’s fourth largest city, after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, all of which I had already visited.

In Daegu I stayed in another Grand Hotel, which is also right downtown. As soon as I arrived I walked around the city, snapping pictures wherever I went.

A Row of Vendors

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At the Subway Entrance

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A Vendor at Rest

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Contrasts

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An Old Woman

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A Happy Woman

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That evening I was feeling hungry enough to break the fast that I had kept since my small breakfast. At the hotel’s quite upscale Korean restaurant the dish that sounded most interesting to me was “ox knee soup with deer horn.” While the deer horn was for decoration — and, I would not be surprised, for its aphrodisiac properties — the ox knee meat and the nine side dishes or additions to the soup were really delicious. Of course, they served the meal with the ubiquitous kimchi (which was exceptionally good) and the rice (which I skipped). Aside from rice — too starchy for me — I’ve found that the only thing that I have to watch out for in Korean restaurants is food that is bright red. That can be awfully hot indeed.

The appetizer was abalone porridge, something that I had heard about, but never got a chance to eat before. Formerly, it was such a delicacy that only royalty could eat it. Korea is a democracy now and an exciting and vibrant country that attracts me far more now that I have seen it.