Cherry Blossom in Korea, a treat I will always remember !

Clouds en masse, puffs of cotton wool floating in the sky, an artist blending white and pink paints on his palette, or what the world calls cherry blossom-simply put, it is unparalleled beauty..I consider myself really fortunate to be living in a part of the world which greets the onset of spring with these gorgeous blooms !

Winters in Korea are just a little short of the ones in Siberia, or so it felt to me. And so I was literally counting down to spring, and the much awaited cherry blossom bloom that accompanies it. All these months the trees were bare, braving the cold winds, leafless and undraped and all of a sudden tiny little pink buds started to sprout on the branches, and one fine morning they were in full bloom !

And that was the only trigger I needed to put on my walking shoes and sling on the camera, and take off full 'tourisht ishtyle', to try and get some shots of the blooms to share with you... :-)

The first thought that struck me was...no wait ! There was no 'first thought', for the first sight of the flowers just left me fixated, rooted to the spot, spell bound, gazing at the blooms. Had never seen something so gorgeous. After what felt like an eternity of being awestruck, I started to notice how the trees were literally weighed down with the flowers! Have a look how beautifully their branches are bending down, makes you wonder, are they attempting to serenade the ground they are planted on? :-)

Row after row, the branches of these trees bent towards each other, forming a beautiful white arbour for a delightful stroll. If you are lucky, you just might find a bit of the sky, trying to peep at you in between the dense white arches that these cherry blossom flowers had formed ! :-) But don't take my word for it, have a look for yourself :)

Another view...this street is full of these trees, what a beautiful drive they make ! Although if I was one of the folks in the car, I would just park it on the side and sit and stare and never make it to work :)

Here's another one...breathtaking sight, isn't it ? !

The parks are full of these beautiful trees...

And the apartments too...

This beautiful distraction is right outside our home, and its lovely to see it as I go about my daily chores :-)

Look at the sunlight falling on them...isn't it spellbinding ? I could gaze at this for hours...

Mostly you would find these flowers blossoming in white in Korea, however, I went around scouting for the rare pink variety for you. Have a look and soak in the beauty...

Something quite this beautiful, how can one not want to zoom in and take a closer look... unreal aren't they ? :-)

Gorgeous as they are, you wish these flowers would last forever. But there is a reason why the cherry blossom or the Sakura flower is regarded as a symbol of mortality...this treat lasts for about a week or ten days, and the ground around these trees resembles a white sheet thereafter...

Look at the petals making a beautiful white cover on the ground, as they fall down like snowflakes in the direction of the breeze...

Am so glad my time in this country has allowed me to witness this gorgeous bloom in all its glory, it's a beautiful memory that will always remain close to my heart :-) Although I really believe that no camera and no words can do justice to the serene beauty of these flowers, I am happy that I could share a glimpse of these blossoms on the blog with you. 

Leaving you with a few more images, gives me great contentment in letting these pictures do the talking...hope you enjoy them :-)