As soon as I heard the weather forecast predicting local showers on Monday and nationwide rainfall on Tuesday, I got ready to go out in a hurry, thinking that this might be the last chance in 2015 to see cherry blossoms.

Today’s destination? I’m heading to the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex.

One reason that makes this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival at the provincial government complex special is the opening of the Office of the Governor to the public for the first time in history. The Office of the Governor opened on April 11 between noon and 6pm, and on April 12 between 9am and 6pm. So, I set out with my children, curious to find out what the office looks like.

■ Onwards to the Cherry blossom festival at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex!

The day is Sunday, April 12. There’s a fair breeze in the air so I think my family will be able to see cherry blossom petals flutter in the wind. It is a shame that the weather is a little cloudy, though. I’m worried I may not be able to capture the light pink cherry blossoms with my camera in this gloomy weather.

Unfortunately, my fear has been realized. The beautiful color of the cherry blossoms has turned somewhat gloomy like the sky. The photos may as well be black and white. =(

Nevertheless, it’s nice to come out and see the beautiful cherry blossoms with my children.

Then again, you need to eat first to have the energy to get around. So we head over to the wide plaza where food stalls from different regions across Gyeonggi Province have been set up.

In the plaza, there are various other activities prepared by the fire department such as demonstrations in using a fire extinguisher, using an escape slide, and administering CPR.

■ The Governor’s office gave us the best memories

The aroma of delicious food keeps tickling my nose, but I leave it behind because my children and I want to see the Office of the Governor. So we head directly over to the 2nd floor of the New Building in the provincial government complex.

Office of the Mayor of Seoul

When I visited the Office of the Mayor in Seoul, I remember it being somewhat authoritative and formal. For that reason, I hesitate in front of the Governor’s office, but we enter the room thanks to some kind staff members at the office.

When my family is about to take a photo with a picture of Governor Nam Kyung-pil inside a photo zone named ‘Today, I’m the Governor’, we hear that we can take a photo with the actual governor since he is here.

What? Where is the Governor?

It turns out, I didn’t recognize him because he was facing the other direction watching my children making memos at the conference table. I’m really surprised when he turns around.

He poses for a picture with my children, and then for another one with my family…

The children say it was a great idea to come for the Cherry Blossom Festival since they were able to see Governor Nam Kyung-pil in person and take pictures with him.

Then, my children and I each write Memo of Hope and post them on the ‘We Ask the Governor’ board. The first-ever opening of the Office of the Governor and photos with Governor Nam serve as the highlights of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival. After visiting the Office of the Governor we head back outdoors to see the cherry blossoms that have bloomed in every corner of the provincial government complex.

■ Back to the Cherry Blossom Festival

It’s a symphony of cherry blossoms! The sheer number of blossoms makes the whole place a cherry blossom park and not a government complex.

The children run around trying to catch cherry blossom petals fluttering in the wind.

Although they may look like an easy catch, the petals are elusive.

Just when beads of sweat start to roll off their faces, my children finally catch one!

We exit the government complex and make our way towards the Suwon City Library. The road is crowded with visitors who came for the cherry blossoms and food stalls, so we take a break and rest our legs at the trail leading up Paldalsan Mountain.

■ A Cherry blossom festival with cultural artifacts

While resting, I look around, trying to take photos of the pretty cherry blossoms surrounding us and I see a sign post for cultural artifacts.

No. 1 Jiseokmyo (left), No. 2 Jiseokmyo (right)

No. 3 Jiseokmyo (left), No. 4 Jiseokmyo (right)

If it wasn’t for the cultural artifacts sign post, we would have just walked straight past them, thinking ‘it’s a pile of rocks’.

We can see that the No. 1 Jiseokmyo was a prehistoric stone grave, but it is difficult to tell with the rest. The sign post says the group of Jiseokmyos were graves from the bronze age, rare in Gyeonggi Province.

This is the “Jijeoksamgakjeom’, a 129.36m tall structure built in December of 1980.

This Jijeoksamgakjeom has very a different feel compared to the others we saw before. Because it was built in the mountains, a tall structure had to be erected for better communication between points.

Past the Seonamgaknu and following Yongdo, we come face to face with the Seonamammun. On top of Seonamammun, we see the mighty Seonamposa.

We then circle around Seonamammun and come back down towards the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex. That marks the end of our day out at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Cherry Blossom Festival and our visit to the Office of the Governor.

http://ggholic.tistory.com/9659