At the start of every spring, Seoul goes completely apeshit for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival held in 여의도 (Yeouido), which is a little island floating in the Han River. They've thrown a bunch of skyscrapers (including the mega-shiny 63 Building) in the center of the island, and built a waterside park around the circumference. When it's not under construction, it really is beautiful.
Now last time I was in SoKo, I didn't get to experience the spring-ing of spring. I left before all this hullabaloo. Now I understand why they love these trees so much. Apparently, they're completely barren for most of the year. Then all at once, like they had an arborial meeting about it, they blossom like CRAZY, and the whole city is white and pink. As one Korean man told me at the festival, "THIS IS FANTAZY WORLD!", and I have to agree. Another thing I learned is that after about two weeks, all the petals fall within a couple days, shroud the streets and sidewalks with good-smelling whiteness, then it goes back to being plain ol' green.
It really is a gorgeous break from this concrete jungle. Seoul has parks, of course, but for the most part it's people on top of apartment buildings on top of people on top of noraebangs.
I was never one for flowers; they were always good at letting girls know they're special, but I didn't care for them myself. I always thought they just smelled like vegetables. But once the cherry blossoms disappear after this weekend, I just might miss 'em a little.
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