Cherry Blossoms!

Two weeks ago, you had only to wander down certain lanes or into certain gardens to find yourself standing under a canopy of white. All around the city, pretty little trees found their branches suddenly covered with clusters and clusters of delicate, white flowers. Of course, these are cherry blossoms, immensely popular in Japan and Korea, such that some cities have taken it upon themselves to plant these trees along every major thoroughfare and scenic spot around. In fact, when I discussed going to one of the popular (and overcrowded) cherry blossoms festivals in other cities, some of my co-teachers scoffingly pointed out that cherry blossoms are everywhere these days, making the festivals unnecessary. Even so, I read that certain places really are worth the visit, and luckily I happened to have a Tuesday off of work for our school's founding anniversary. I figured that, on a random Tuesday afternoon, the crowds should be a lot smaller, and the trip more enjoyable. In fact, I was very, very lucky, because the flowers only blossom for about a week in each location, meaning there's not much wiggle room for planning a visit.

Me with some cherry blossoms outside my school.

Our school's anniversay happened to perfectly coincide with the flowering season in nearby Gyeongju, one of the top cities in Korea for cherry blossom-viewing. Gyeongju is a beautiful city anyway, being the old seat of the Joseon dynasty, and the weather was excellent. I wandered around the city from about 10 to 3, taking many pictures and enjoying the peaceful and refreshing view. Even on a Tuesday, there were plenty of school field trips, families, and other tourists, but it was by no means too crowded. There's lots of pictures (pretty much all of cherry blossoms) after the cut!

These are actually the cherry blossom trees in the middle of our school grounds.

And again.

Now, on to Gyeongju!

Here's a partial map of Gyeongju. It's a tourist spot map, so it's not exactly to scale or in accurate proportions, but it gives you an idea of the route I walked. Starting at the train station (upper righthand star), I walked to the west to General Kim Yu-shin's tomb. You can even see the cherry blossom trees drawn on the map. From there, back east and south to Wolsung, then back around and up to the train station. I walked the whole way.

First stop, the tomb of General Kim Yu-shin, just outside the main city to the west, by the river.

Gyeongju is full of royal tombs, which all look like large, evenly-formed hills. There are even tombs right in the middle of the city, which is part of what gives Gyeongju it's famous culture.

 

Bus stop

One of my favorites.

This is the main road leading to the tomb. It is a long stretch of large, evenly-spaced trees, which creates a beautiful canopy. What you can't see in this picture is the road below, full of cars parked the whole length of the road, with their occupants spilling out in every direction to take pictures. It must be crazy on the weekends!

A view of the city and Hyeongsangang river from the road.

Actually, the blossoms are much, much prettier than any photos can capture, especially photos taken by me. You'll just have to use your imagination to picture looking up at the blue sky through a canopy of white.

The actual road that splits off the main street and heads to the tomb. Here, the trees are much taller and look wilder than their younger, carefully grown cousins on the main way.

A cool stairway in the woods.

Sign pointing the way to General Kim Yu-shin's tomb.

Next stop, walking back through the city, past the Cheonmachong and Daeneungwon tombs in the middle of the city.

A view along the street.

A very pretty walk leading to the southern part of the city.

I got distracted from the cherry blossoms by the garden of a temple.

Which also had statues of horses and lanterns in it.

More of the horses.

Cheomseongdae, one of the oldest astronomical observatories around.

Final destination, Wolsung forest, at the southern tip of the city.

The lovely forest was planted almost entirely with cherry blossom trees. The nice thing about this is that, unlike the trees lining the roads, which are very beautiful but also very manicured and orderly, the forest's trees are large and wild. The forest is also on a large hill, with all views of civilization more or less blocked out. Surprisingly, few people were in this area, making it incredibly peaceful and beautiful.

A bridge leading up to the forest. This picture should have come first. To the right of this area is Gyerim forest. To the left, a large flower field. Many families and students were wandering around here, including a little tot who gave me a sucker while I was photographing this bridge! So sweet!

The forest.

You can see a few intelligent people having a (probably romantic) picnic under the trees. The ground is lumpy and covered with tall grass, but the pros totally outweigh the cons. The sunlight streaming through the branches was unbeatable.

A self-portrait. You can see the sucker in my mouth. I also had to wear my scarf on my head to keep the top of my scalp from getting sunburned.

Another river view from the back of the forest. According to the map, this is Namcheon Stream.