Spring came late to the mid-Atlantic this year which means I got lucky: my long-planned trip to Washington, DC, landed me squarely amidst the glorious display of DC’s famous cherry blossoms. But there were other flowers to enjoy as well…

My first stop was at the National Gallery of Art where their entrance hall was awash in spring.

I had to visit my favorite artist, Van Gogh, and even he had jumped on the floral bandwagon. I love the Girl in White, surrounded by poppies:

I know that a Persian poet says you should buy hyacinths to feed your soul, but I needed real food, so there was a stop at the new and delicious DBGB Kitchen and Bar (the DB stands for Daniel Boulud; that man can cook!). The mini Madeleines, warm from the oven, were to die for!

Then it was time for the main event: the cherry blossoms. I will simply post the photos I took using nothing more sophisticated than my cell phone. The beauty speaks for itself.

And finally, just to give you an idea of how many other folks were enjoying the cherry blossoms, this image:

But everyone was in a great mood, smiling even if you walked through the photo they were trying to take (which was unavoidable in the crowd). Beauty has that effect on people.