High Park - Cherry Blossoms

Well known for elegance and beauty,

much loved for their delicate pink and white flowers.

Earliest to bloom but for short periods

They remind us that the spring is here.

Yes! Cherry Blossoms!!!

Having moved to Toronto, Canada very recently, I was all excited about visiting High Park to admire the wonderful sight of Cherry blossoms. All these years I had just seen pictures and heard about them and now was the time to actually experience it! While travelling back home the previous evening, my Uber driver told me about the High Park being very crowded since it was one of the major attactions during early spring. We decided to leave early so that we could get some nice pictures and get to experience the peacefulness of nature.

Somei-Yoshino Cherry Tree was planted in Canada in 1959 which was a present from few residents of Tokyo. Later Sakura project donated 34 cherry trees to High park. Its also said that Japan donated so many Sakura trees which are planted in different parts of Canada as a appreciation for accepting Japanese-Canadians (After 2nd World war). Cherry blossoms are also known as a symbol of fresh beginnings! They bloom and last for a week if the weather is pleasant; if not they wither off too quickly.

At High park you can see a few of these trees near the duck pond and rest of them at the hillside further up the park. Most of them were bud florets with dark pink petals. It was such a pleasant sight to see the small florets forming a pink carpet above me. I was lying down on the green grasscarpet on the slopes watching the flowers above me for hours. Nothing around me mattered.. Such a trance!

It was an amazing day. With lots of memories filled in.. till we see it again the next year..