About five months ago, within the midst of a deadly and cruel blizzard, Alexander and Andrea Campagna answered a knock on the door of their home near Buffalo. There were 10 South Korean travelers outside whose van got stuck within the snow on their street. The Campagnas welcomed stranded travelers, and in doing so provided an oft-told story of compassion and goodwill through the vicious storm just before Christmas.
On Thursday, the Campagnas were in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, touring a few of the city’s most historic landmarks, admiring the painted wood beams that support the curved roofs of Gyeongbokgung, a sprawling palace in-built the late 14th century. In the hazy sun, they strolled through Gwanghwamun Square, the beating heart of city life, where they learned in regards to the Korean heroes who walked this earth centuries ago.
They were about per week after a ten day paid city tour as guests Korea Tourism Organizationto reward their generosity and promote tourism in Korea as well.
“It’s like a fairytale situation that you simply couldn’t write a script for,” said Campagna, 40, in an interview at a coffee shop within the Gyeongbokgung area.
The government has sought to focus on the wide selection of Korean industry and culture and showcase the country’s natural beauty, said Kim Jang-Sil, president of the tourism organization. Above all, he said, he hoped to indicate Campagnas the “heartfelt kindness” of the South Korean people.
The Campagnas were greeted like heroes. They participated in interviews with local media and made a movie promoting tourism. They were feted by the Korean government, hosted on the Four Seasons, greeted at Michelin-recommended restaurants, and brought on private tours of town’s attractions. There was a mountain hike, a visit to a Buddhist temple, trekking to the Demilitarized Zone, which divides the peninsula into two parts, and in fact, many delicious meals, including a Korean barbecue feast.
They reunited with the six South Korean tourists they spontaneously invited to their home that snowy Christmas weekend a number of months ago. This time they met in a sun-filled restaurant in a conventional Korean house with a view Changdeokgung Palaceone other great royal house of Joseon dynasty.
Tears flowed as they met again. Both guests and hosts, conveyed by the interpreter, spoke of the gratitude they felt. They called one another friends for all times and repeatedly emphasized that it was like destiny.
Rescued travelers recalled their relief after they saw the rice cooker on the Campagnas home. “When I opened the refrigerator, it felt prefer it was made for us,” said Park Gun Young, who stayed on the Campagna residence along with his wife and daughter.
Ms Campagna, 43, said that despite having no blood ties to the country, Korea was a part of the couple’s origin story from the start. On their first date seven years ago, they ate bibimbap and fried pork at a neighborhood Korean restaurant in Buffalo.
In the months since that vacation weekend, the couple said they’ve received tremendous gratitude from well-wishers near and much. There was even a yr of free fried chicken from a Korean BBQ franchise. Ms Campagna said the response, which she called “deeply moving”, showed the world was “hungry for a heart-wrenching story” in a news cycle that typically is not.
Over a four-course meal, including beef stew braised in soybeans, lotus wraps with spicy soybean paste, and chocolate éclairs full of yuzu cream, the united group reminisced in regards to the winter weekend that brought them together.
The beaming Campagnas gave their former guests gifts of Christmas ornaments decorated with a picture of their home covered in snow. Mrs. Campagna designed ornaments especially for this occasion.
“We became very attached to them,” said Ms. Campagna. “It was like being reunited with family.”
During the tour, the Campagnas, who had never visited Korea before, said they were completely immersed in Korean culture. They discovered about jeong conceptthe sensation of sympathy and heat that builds up in a detailed relationship, something they’ve said they feel towards their guests.
They have also heard of inyeon, or destiny. The holiday weekend turned them into believers. One of the mysteries of the story was how lost Korean travelers ended up on the door of the one house in the realm that was believed to be stocked with Korean spices similar to gochujang, a spicy red chili paste, and chamgileum, or sesame oil. , and enough products and proteins to cook Korean food for everybody.
“How did they find yourself on our street in Buffalo? In a house where we just happened to like cooking Korean food and having these spices? asked Mrs. Campagna. “How did all of it occur?”
Then she answered her own questions: “Destiny,” she said.
Follow New York Times Travel ON Instagram AND subscribe to our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter for expert advice on traveling smarter and inspiration in your next vacation. Are you dreaming of a future trip or simply traveling in an armchair? Check out ours 52 places to go to in 2023.
