Cherry Blossoms

Hello and happy spring to all!  I have been thinking of spring the past two weeks.  Here in Korea there are several famous cherry blossom festivals.  The Koreans feel the Japanese take too much credit for their cherry blossoms when the festivals and trees are more beautiful in Korea.  I didn't go to the more famous festivals as they are in the southern part of the country and I haven't figured out the train and bus systems yet.  I didn't think a weekend when there could be more than a million people visiting the same area would be a good time to try to find my way alone.

The trees here and the fascination with the cherry blossoms reminded me of the poem by A. E. Houseman:
                                                       Loveliest of Trees
         

LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
Now, of my threescore years and ten,	5
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.
And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,	10
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

While I agree that "fifty springs are little room to look at things in bloom", I don't think I have to do it with 2 million others.  Here are some of the photos of cherry trees and other flowers and flowering trees that I have found mean spring has come to Korea!

Cherry trees at night down the street near my apartment.

A lovely view between the buildings

I saw these and knew spring is here!

Nice photo if I do say so and this is right across from my apartment house.