Chonnam National University track

The track near the front gate of Chonnam National University isn’t used much during the day this time of year as the heat and humidity make outdoor exercise more work than fun. However, once the sun goes down, hundreds of people can be seen circling this track in the evenings. When I took this photo the sun was setting. A couple hours later there were probably three times as many people on the track.

Mudeungsan can be seen in the distance of today’s image.

Posted on July 20th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: chonnam national university, gwangju, Mount Mudeung National Park, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on CNU track (전남대학교)

German Bar – Gwangju alley at night

On the far left of today’s photo (2nd Floor) is the aforementioned German Bar.

Posted on July 19th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: beer, german bar, gwangju, night photography, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600. Comments Off on German Bar @ night

One of Gwangju’s many high-rise residential living spaces

Most of the 1.5 million people in Gwangju live in one of these places. There are hundreds of them throughout the city, most in the 15-20 story height range. They aren’t very pretty up close (this is one of the better looking ones), but from a distance, the city looks pretty cool because they are spread out a bit.

Posted on July 18th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: buildings, gwangju, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600, photomerge. Comments Off on Living in Gwangju

The Brown Lazers @ Gwangju’s German Bar

A new bar, catering mostly to foreigners, recently opened in Gwangju. You can find it in the Chungjangno part of town, behind the 7-Eleven off of Seoseok-ro, not far from the YMCA and Culture Complex. It’s known as The German Bar but is run by a Korean man named Seungcheol Song. This past Saturday night they had (I think) their first live acts, three of them. Band #2 (unlike Bands #1 and #3) was made up of only foreigners. They were called The Brown Lazers (or Brown Lasers?). Their sound didn’t really fit one genre in particular. A couple of their songs reminded me a bit of Dropkick Murphys.

I think The Brown Lazers are playing at Speakeasy on August 3.

Posted on July 17th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: concert photography, german bar, gwangju, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600. Comments: 1

Gwangju Street of Art (광주 예술의 거리)

Gwangju’s Street of Art is one of about five or six things listed in every guidebook as a thing to do while in Gwangju. Some of the reviews I saw on the internet were pretty mediocre. Saturdays are supposed to be the best days, and the second Saturday of the month is supposed to have extra events. So I went on the second Saturday to check it out. Little was happening, less than half the stores and galleries were open, and few people were around. Probably 10-20% of the stores were undergoing construction. Overall, it was disappointing. Maybe once all the construction is done it will be OK. As I headed away from the art area (toward Chungjangno or 충장로) I noticed this alley.

Posted on July 16th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: graffiti, gwangju, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, street art. Comments Off on Gwangju Art Street