Sakura Hanami

   
I never knew Toronto's High Park had Cherry Blossoms. In fact, despite my almost 30 years in the city, I've never been to High Park. Then last year, I heard about the cherry blossoms (after they bloomed), read about the absolutely charming Japanese tradition of Cherry Blossom Watching or Sakura Hanami (Google streetview awesomeness here) and why high Park's cherry trees are special. In the past few weeks, we've been eagerly watching the High Park Nature Centre website for updates. This past weekend, they popped and we went.

High Park is wonderful! Very woodsy in places, lots of nature and it felt so incredibly restful to be surrounded by it all. 

the first piece of wonderful was this copse of pine trees. As we walked past them, the scent of pine and fresh air hit us and I felt as if I were home in the forests of my childhood. It was a very windy day and hearing the wind whoosh through the pines made it even better.

 

 We turned the corner and there they were

 



There were lots of people marveling just as much as we were and many were Japanese. I suspect some were  having their own flashbacks to home


Some were in full bloom


Others had barely started. And there was this incredible tree


We wandered down to Grenadier Pond and saw a boy with a stick


The willow tress were nothing but the most delicate green


and there was wildlife, too





Comments

Bonnie said…
Beautiful!
10:10 AM
L."Wren" Vandever said…
Now THAT was a gift, Lene! What a gorgeous park! Will you be visiting it more often, now that you've finally had a reason to go?

One of my favorite things in the world is the sound of wind in the tall evergreens. It evokes the sea for me, with its soft ebb and flow.

Wishing you a restful and joyful weekend.
11:00 AM
AlisonH said…
Beautiful, Lene, thank you! I grew up with the cherry blossoms in DC; there's nothing like that here in California.
2:28 PM
Anonymous said…
So ethereal.

This reminds me of Hitching Rides with Buddha by Will Ferguson. In it, he recounts his adventures in Japan while following the trail of the blooming of the Sakura. Such a delightful book.
8:19 PM
five13 wannabe said…
I don't know if "willow tress" was a typo or not, but I love it!
11:34 AM
Anonymous said…
Thank goodnessDiablo 3 Items intended for oversized seaside towels, for sure they would discovered you actually one. Thankful youGW2 Gold weren't required to find out!
2:02 AM
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