Today I headed to Washington D.C. to stay with Kate, my best gal pal from my time in Atlanta. She only recently moved here, so was keen to be a tourist with me.

We headed straight for the Mall, which is bookended by the Capitol and the Washington Monument. At this time of year, the area is also known for its cherry blossoms; millions of people come from all over the world to see the pink flowers dusting the branches.

The trees were gifted by the Japanese to the U.S. 100 years ago as a sign of the friendship between the two countries. For the Japanese, the trees are very spiritual; the swift process of the beautiful blossoms sprouting and then falling to the ground is a reminder of the fleeting nature of life.

Kate said that because of the indecisive weather this year, the trees were only at about a third as full as they usually are at this point. And unfortunately for us, it appeared that everyone from all over the world had come to see them today. (Says the tourist…)

But we still managed to get a glimpse of the beautiful trees against the blue sky and, despite the swarms of people, they had a real calming effect.

And then we continued being tourists.