Watching Cherry Blossoms at Seokchon Lake

 


BLOSSOMS

Last Sunday, hubby and I went to  Songpa Naru Park in Jamsil to see the cherry blossoms. We were inthe Philippines two weeks ago, so we missed the festival from April 12th to 14th. We weren’t expecting a lot of people since the festival was over, but the place was brimming with sightseers.

The cherry blossom trees wrap around Seokchon lake. Across the lake, you can see some of the lofty rides at Lotte World.

Some cherry blossoms started shedding their petals. Watching the petals cascade like snow in spring was lovely, and it was lovelier because hubby and I were walking hand in hand, like many young couples who were there to enjoy a romantic walk in the park.

Last year, hubby and I were very busy that we didn’t have time to see the cherry blossoms. Also, he was a bit worried that I would complain about the “walk”, but who would complain about walking for a couple of minutes when you are surrounded by beautiful trees and happy people?

Here are some of the photos hubby and I took on Sunday. I forgot to turn my cam’s auto-flash back on, so the pictures aren’t as good. The photos hubby took from his mobile phone are even better.

20130421_123242

20130421_124323

20130421_125916

3

4

1

IMG_0202

22

20130421_134528 modified

20130421_125240

20130421_131027IMG_0204

10

IMG_0233

IMG_0230

20130421_122903

19

6

5

21

Everyone was busy sight-seeing and taking photos, so hubby was reluctant to ask someone to take our picture. Luckily, I found a very friendly 외국 사람 or 외국인 (foreigner) who was kind enough to take more than one picture of hubby and me doing “emo” poses. ^^

This is my favorite.

20

The cherry blossom trees all looked the same, but we found one that stood out with its big pink petals. It has just bloomed. The tree reminded me of a scene from my favorite movie “Memoirs of a Geisha“, when the beautiful Sayuri stood under the pink cherry blossoms and the chairman she secretly loves said, “Even the cherry blossoms are envious of her.”

Hubby and I couldn’t get near the cherry blossom that stood out, because there were so many people taking photos under it. We had to wait for a few minutes, but people kept coming, so we couldn’t really get a good shot.

20130421_132817

7

20130421_132937

8

IMG_0248

20130421_133040

Besides cherry blossoms, there were also yellow forsythia or 개나리 (gaenali/gaenari) in Korean.

20130421_125529

20130421_125533

20130421_125620The lake itself is a sight to behold. Different kinds of fish swim in the water. They are colorful and “huge”, I guess because they are well fed by people visiting the lake. I wanted to feed the fish, but we weren’t bringing any food.

14

15There are bleachers by the lake where people can stay and watch when there are shows or programs. Some students were rehearsing for a dance. Hubby and I watched for a few minutes. I suddenly missed my school days. Although I am not a very good dancer, I  enjoyed dance class and got into cheerleading.

31

13

Hubby and I had a splendid Sunday.

Sometimes it’s better to simply take a walk together and relish the beauty of nature than spend money and precious time waiting for a seat or your food to be served in a fancy restaurant.

CHERRY

After our long walk, we saw a little girl scooping out with her tiny hands cherry blossoms that had fallen and are scattered on the ground. I smiled at how easy it is for that little girl to find happiness in a pile of petals… and then I started to wonder how something that had fallen and been trampled on many times could be beautiful  to a child.

Hubby said, “Why don’t you try (it)?”

I did. I took some of the petals in my hand and blew them away… like a little girl with her big smiley face. ^^

20130421_122623

29To get to Seokchon Lake, take Seoul Subway Line 2 going to Jamsil station; Exit Gate 3.
Walk straight, 200 meters, to arrive at the entrance of Songpa Naru Park.

 

From Korea with Love
Chrissantosra.wordpress.com


RSS

 

 

Join 473 other followers