Got Spring Festival Fever?
Treat it With Cherry Blossoms

Planning a vacation next spring? How about meeting me in Yeouido, Seoul for their Spring Festival to celebrate the cherry blossoms? And bring your camera along.

After a bone chilling winter -- yes, Korea has cold snowy winters -- bicycles and cherry blossom viewing replace snowboards almost overnight as the country celebrates their many spring festivals.

Look at the map of Yeouido and change the view so you can get your bearings. Or click on the link below the map to look at the area on the google map site.

One day you wake up with your “long johns” on, only to find the snow melted and cherry blossom buds about to explode. Well, maybe not quite that fast...

Korean springtime is pretty short and sweet but there are plenty of spring festivals to keep you hopping. Plan your trip well and you can pack in lots of flower photo opportunities into just one week.

There's a lot more dazzle to the Spring Flowers Festival than just the cherry blossoms....

If you want to take it all in, devote at least one full day and evening to this site. Entry's free - I like that!

You'll find plenty to give your camera AND all your senses a good work-out.....

• Dancers sporting vibrant colored traditional silk hanbok perform on stage every day.

• Fascinating sights and sounds of traditional musicians -- percussion music mixed with dance, theater and acrobatics.

• Magic shows and wooden puppets.

• Bring your appetite along and stop by one, or more, of the street vendors. Push your taste buds to the limit with SPICY traditional Korean food... IF you can stand the heat!

• There's more modern entertainment like inline skating. But my favorite -- the Seoul Mounted Police parading on their horses under the outstretched “arms” of the pink cherry trees.

• You absolutely have to catch the night light show. Magical and romantic! Keep your camera close by. Oh yes - you might want to practice your night photography beforehand.

• If you're lucky enough to be there on the final night of this spring festival, look to the Han River after sunset. There's a sensational fireworks display. Want a challenging photo assignment? Shoot the illuminated cherry trees with the fireworks in the background!

Got a minute? Let me give you a quick photo tour right now of Yeouido's Spring Flowers Festival.

A soft canopy of pink cherry blossoms! People walking under the trees and into the distance give these spring pictures perspective. Include people in your photos - it's more interesting when sharing your photos.	Koreans love nature and they get outdoors whenever they can. The cherry blossoms are a wonderful excuse to celebrate with good friends. An afternoon walk in Yeouido Park is a chance to get your socializing in.	Koreans are happily taking to bicycles as Seoul builds new bicycle paths every year. The path, the rope and log fence, the people, and the branches create curves to guide your eyes in these spring pictures.

Two king cherry trees lining the road around Seoul's National Assembly, Yeouido area. Steal an afternoon for yourself. Stroll through 5.7 km tunnel of blushing pink cherry blossoms.	The Korean traditional dancers play a primary role in festival events. These “farm” dancers in brilliant orange and navy hanbok celebrate the arrival of spring and sowing of spring crops.	This dancer wears a traditional white and red silk Hanbok. An open fan would reveal several showy pink peonies... another of many spring flowers East Asia has thoughtfully given us!

	After I got off the subway, I walked under a bridge and along the Han River with other enthusiastic festival-seekers. In 20 minutes, my final approach - up a hill topped by cherry trees. The route was solid with people enjoying the spring day.
	The branches bend gracefully to frame this spring photo. In the distance is the Hangang River. It's a hazy day so it's not visible. Did you notice there are no leaves on the trees yet? Nothing to distract from the beauty of the cherry blossoms!
	A hot and humid 32o C day but the cyclists were decked out in safety gear! Whew, I really felt for them. Cyclists in Korea wear scarves tied around their faces, only eyes visible. No, not bandits! The best alternative to breathing any pollution.
	Dancing under the cherry blossoms. The same Korean traditional dancers you saw above but this shot is a horizontal view. Sometimes the same subject looks a bit different if you change your viewpoint! Want some tips on shifting your perspective?
	These drum dancers wear vibrantly colored hanbok! Enjoy many performances in daily afternoon and evening stage and street shows. After sunset there are plenty more photo opportunities with colored lights illuminating the cherry trees.
	Silk hanbok of brilliant pink and turqouise - complementary to the pink cherry blossoms. This dancer carries a jang-gu drum, shaped like an hourglass and decorated with bright pink peonies. How did I use the rule of thirds in the photo?
	Time to go! I walked down the hill and back along the Han River. I turned to take my last pictures of the cherry trees. I had to leave Seoul in a few hours so this was my last opportunity to photograph Yeouido spring festival cherry blossoms.

Korea - A small and friendly country with a passion for flowers and gardens!

Its hustle and bustle capital city, Seoul, is a great destination for cherry blossoms and spring festivals.

Get your camera and your sunscreen ready! I'll meet you in Yeouido!

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