Wine Ginseng Train
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
Spring is in full bloom in April, but instead of going flower gazing, how about a wine-sipping train ride? Enjoy the leisure of decadence on the train, and begin the new month with the clinking sound of wine glasses.
A romantic ride where you can write a letter to a special someone? Listlessly watching the passing scenery outside the window? Being squeezed into a small space, with the chattering of talkative children as background music?
A simple train ride can be boring and uneventful. But once you board the Wine Ginseng Train, you can forget bad memories. It's no ordinary train trip. Among the trains that depart from Seoul Station and head to Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province, there is a special train ― with a moving bar.
It features four themes under which the cabins are divided: red wine, white wine, ginseng and herbs. Photographs of wine and ginseng cover the exterior of the train while the interior is decorated like a wine bar. Instead of regular passenger seats, tables of two or four fill the space and there is also a small stage for performances.
On this train you can enjoy ― without limit ― good quality domestic wine and treats made with Geumsan's specialty ginseng.
En route to eastern Yeongdong, you can take part in various programs and learn about wine and ginseng. This would be a trip that wine lovers, rather than connoisseurs, would appreciate. Because drinks are served without limit, some guests can be seen leaving the ride a little tipsy.
The festivity continues at Yeongdong-gun, where a ``samulnori'' (Korean traditional percussion band) performance awaits. The next stop is Wine Korea, the country's unique wine producer, where you can see tens of thousands of bottles of fine wine being processed. There is also a museum, an exhibition of the wine-making process, a wine footbath and wine-making booths.
Following the exploratory, you can buy ginseng and other roots and herbs at Geumsan, which produces 80 percent of domestic ginseng.
The Wine Ginseng Train leaves four times a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available at any Korail station. For more information about the package, call (043) 744-3211~3. You can also visit www.winekr.co.kr or www.korail.com.
