Underneath the cherry blossom tree

All I have been hearing about recently is Japanese cherry blossoms. It may be a coincidence or it may be my friend Marc, who has been travelling East, bringing back wonderful snacks like cherry blossom flavoured chocolate and cupcakes with cherry blossom icing (a very faint flavour actually, cherry blossom, but that aside). It may be the lovely Hiroshige book I got with its beautiful cherry blossom woodblock prints, or the Hokusai exhibition I went to. Pale pink seems to be the new black.

Hiroshige's cherry blossoms

Nestle's cherry blossoms

I'm not the only one under the spell of the cherry blossom tree. Not one, but two sets of friends have been travelling to Japan recently, fervently hoping to catch the blossoms in their full blooming action - which only happens one week of the year, apparently. One of my mates sent me daily pictures of her and her man, smiling goofily under a variety of pink flowers. I have to admit, I got a little jealous.

Then the opportunity presented itself. Not to go to Japan, alas. But to see a real live Japanese cherry blossom tree in action. Yes, Berlin has its own cherry blossom trees and the petals were clinging on for an unnatural amount of time due to the cold snap. Lucky me, having an extra week to catch a glimpse!

They stand in the Gärten der Welt, in the murky depths of Marzahn where, as the urban myth goes, crime is rife and expats venturing in are never heard of again. To my great surprise, the Gärten der Welt is not a normal park but a theme park, with an entrance fee. Not only did I have to be brave and travel into unknown Marzahn territory for these flowers, but pay to get in as well? Unheard of. These blossoms had better be worth it.

The theme park people knew how to build up the excitement and kept the Japanese garden section closed for a few hours before we (paying customers that we were) were let in. When the doors finally opened we were queue-jumped by a few elderly German people with sun visors on their heads. (What is it with elderly people and their sense of entitlement?) Well, it has to be said, there were many of them. Blossoms I mean, although there were many elderly people too. Most petals were on the ground, but it was still a pretty pale pink sight.

I looked up, a lot. I took a picture looking goofy under the blossoms with my man. I trailed behind the OAPs and endlessly 'aah'ed at the pinkness on the ground and in the air. And then I realised something. These trees were EXACTLY the same as the ones that stood in my neighbourhood when I was growing up, flowering every year and giving little-girl-me the material to manufacture mini bouquets of flowers for my Barbie doll house. Japanese cherry blossoms don't just grow in Asia then. Hmmm. Good thing I found this out in Marzahn, not after flying all the way to Japan...

Gärten der Welt's cherry blossoms

Gärten der Welt, Eisenacher straße 99, 12685 Berlin