Namhae German Village: A Slice of Europe in Korea
Too sad to head straight home, we searched on the fly for one more stop: the Namhae German Village, a place I had always wanted to visit. I would have seriously regretted missing it, so I am wrapping up our summer vacation posts with the Namhae German Village. It is so pretty you might catch the German Village bug, so brace your hearts.
We drove two and a half hours from Geoje to the Namhae German Village. The road there was so cute and pretty that we drove along going wow.
So excited in the car, cheeks flushed.
The German Village sign appeared, and there it was in the distance. Blurry because of the car window film, but the weather was fantastic.
Driving up with eyes wide open. Luckily there was plenty of parking. Stepping out into the blazing sun, insanely hot. But the photos came out looking like the Mediterranean.
The Story of the German Village
These days the German Village has turned commercial, with restaurants, lodgings, coffee shops, and souvenir stores, and some visitors leave disappointed. But we fell for the Namhae German Village. It felt like being abroad.
This is the German craft workshop selling wooden dolls. No photos inside, so we shot from outside.
Over there is the Namhae Germany dispatch exhibition hall. The village was built long ago as a place for the elders who were dispatched to Germany in the 1960s as miners and nurses to rest comfortably back in Korea. I had no idea and thought Germans lived here. Having been to Germany myself, it felt less like German houses and more like a gathering of pretty houses.
A snap at the plaza entrance gate, then the scenery that forced us to keep shooting as we walked down.
That house with the parasol in the distance is Cheolsu’s house from the drama Fantastic Couple. Someone actually lives there. The house where Na Sang-sil and Cheolsu ate jajangmyeon. Too hot to go close, so we shot from afar.
Even apart from the drama filming location, the German Village houses were so pretty.
We took photos of each other. I got several lifetime photos here. Even careless shots came out gorgeous.
Even a roadside snap looked like a pictorial. The colors were unreal.
Lunch at Kunst Lounge: Schweinshaxe and Beer
This is the German Village map. We wandered without it. Down below there are many coffee shops and restaurants, and even the coffee shops were pretty. There were terrace cafes, but in this blazing sun, a terrace was a no for us. Photos only.
A bit further down, we settled on Kunst Lounge, with its red parasols and outdoor terrace. A place to taste beer and German dishes.
Inside it just looked like a coffee shop.
We ordered schweinshaxe, which you would only eat in a German village, plus Kostritzer draft dark beer and, since it was so hot, an americano. Schweinshaxe is a traditional German pork leg dish, think Korean jokbal. We quickly went up to the second floor to check the air conditioning. Luckily it was cool, and the view down from the second floor was fantastic.
The dark beer and americano came first. So much foam, cold, with a smooth throat feel.
Good beer called for a selfie. Then the schweinshaxe finally arrived. It took over 30 minutes to cook, but chatting while watching the view outside, we never noticed the time.
It looked so delicious.
The schweinshaxe was crispy outside and moist inside, and dipped in the sauce it was pure heaven. A bit pricey, but we would have regretted not trying it.
So tasty, such a good mood, so happy, selfies kept coming. We rarely take selfies on trips, usually focusing on backgrounds or food, so this might be the first post with this many photos of us. Kunst Lounge had a very high ceiling. Done eating, it was time to head out.
Outside, one more shot of Kunst Lounge from afar, then another photo of my husband in front of the German Village monument. Too hot, but we could not pass a pretty spot without a shot.
They even sold spaghetti ice cream, but we were too full and just photographed the sign. Then a regular house, like Santorini with orange roofs, so exotic. Without the Korean signs, you could fool anyone into thinking it was Eastern Europe.
Back up to the plaza, we bought a hemp beer we had been curious about. One bottle cost 10,000 won, so pricey. A search showed it is also sold at big marts. But as a souvenir, we bought the hemp beer and Sonnenhofen, which came with a beer glass: 3 bottles plus glass for 25,000 won. By no means cheap, very expensive.
After a bit of souvenir shopping, we drove out of the German Village.
We wanted to stay one more day, but worried about traffic on the 6th if we could not leave on the 5th, so we hurried home. The roads were clear, but the long drive up from Namhae was boring and exhausting. I am so grateful to my husband, who drove for hours without complaint and treated me to lots of good food.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in August 2016 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.