Every spring something truly marvelous happens in DC... hundreds of Japanese Cherry Blossom trees bloom in all their glory and create a canvas of beautiful white and pink flowers around the Tidal Basin. Everyone flocks to the Tidal Basin from near and far to admire their beauty and welcome their arrival. Yesterday, we biked downtown to see them for ourselves and were just as awed as ever.
The Cherry Blossoms have their own 2 week festival in DC marked with a parade, a Cherry Blossom royalty coronation, concerts, a 10K run, walking tours, kite festivals, a street fair, and more. "The Cherry Blossom Festival annually commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 Cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, honoring the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and celebrating the continued close relationship between our two cultures (NCBF website, 2009).
If you've ever needed an extra reason to visit DC, maybe this will convince you. Hint, hint, friends and family! :-)
Jefferson Memorial
the Japanese lantern lighting ceremony
the queen royalty
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