Cherry Blossoms!!!!

This weekend I accomplished something that has been on my "to-do" list for quite some time. I went to High Park in Toronto to see the cherry blossoms in bloom!!! I think my fascination with them all started when I was probably about 12 or 13 when I first read "Memoirs of a Geisha." It instantly became, and still is to this day, my favourite book. Cherry blossoms are a big part of Japanese culture and are very symbolic. I vowed to one day see them in real life but I didn't know until just recently that they actually exist in Canada. I found out on Wikipedia that the trees in High Park were actually given to us by Japan. I planned to go last year but I had no idea they had such a short life span. Once they bloom, they fall within a week to a week and a half, according to High Parks website. They usually bloom late April to early May but this year they were early! The website gives daily updates once it gets close so I kept checking back periodically and when it said full bloom was expected by this weekend I had to go. So I went with a friend and I must say it was a pretty amazing experience. Aside from their obvious beauty, walking through the park was like I was transported to another world. It is an experience I won't soon forget and hope to go back year after year!