Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2012

Your visit to the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival begins at the National Assembly station on Line 9. Signs helpfully direct you to the correct exit. When you come out, cross the main road and turn right, proceeding east to Yunjungno, the Japanese cherry tree-lined boulevard that sweeps around the National Assembly building.





The beginning of the road is sealed off with a selection of floral displays (that's a map of Korea behind me). Today's was a crisp, bright morning, and I arrived before the crowds got too thick. Sadly, the festival calendar this year arrived before the cherry blossomes got too thick, as well--winter just wouldn't take a hint! Most of the trees are budding, not blossoming.


Still, there's other stuff to do besides gawk at the flowers:


The Yeosu World's Fair opens next month, and there was a booth on hand to spread the word:



...complete with the Expo mascots, Yeony and Suny. According to Wikipedia:

the official mascots of Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, are personifications of plankton, a primary food source for marine life and a key absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The dark blue color of Yeony symbolizes the deep ocean water and its limitless natural resources, while the bright red color of Suny represents the living organisms of the oceans and land; the tentacles signify diverse, reciprocal connections for communication with all the visitors to this global event. Whilst each of their names is derived from “Yeosu,” where Yeo means “beautiful” and Su means “water,” the names Yeony and Suny convey the intention of promoting the host city to the rest of the world.

There were a handful of gorgeous cherry blossoms, as you can see below.





Remember you can click on any pic to see it full size, as taken by my new Nikon D5100. :
Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2011
Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2010
Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2009
You can look at my blog posts on the Yeosu Expo starting here:
Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival 2011