Photos: Cherry Blossoms in Kungsträdgården

I usually use the arrival of cherry blossoms in Stockholm as the official mood gauge here.

That moment when we emotionally transition from the throes of winter to spring. The spirit lightens up. People are wearing more smiles than is (comfortably) normal and our collective psyche begins that euphoric march towards summer – the very best season (emotionally) here in Sweden. While locals can’t wait for summer, spring is my personal favourite season because of the rebirth and rejuvenation it signifies. That there’s always an opportunity to step out of darkness and begin anew once again.

So grabbing my camera with a wide angle lens on, I headed over to Kungsträdgården – the very best place to see and photograph cherry blossoms in Stockholm.

Between April and early May, Kungsträdgården – which is arguably Stockholm’s most popular communal park – becomes a living room under a ceiling of pink. Strangers sit shoulder to shoulder, pose for cheesy yet completely acceptable shots under blossoms,  play games with oversized chess pieces, wear pink or come with hair dyed pink juxtaposed against the pink flowers.

Everyone becomes an avid photographer once more and selfies are ever the rage.

The cherry blossoms are usually lined in parallel along both sides of the fountain in the middle, and by the time I was out this season to capture them, the rows of trees on the other side had already begun losing their flowers. This meant a mob of people sitting – albeit awkwardly – along one side of the fountain. They – we – all needed to be beneath those pink halos, drawing energy from them.

Stockholm morphs when the cherry blossoms arrive. Beyond their pretty cuteness, they bring with them whatever magical fairy dust that lets a stranger genuinely smile back at you when your eyes meet. For those few weeks they bloom, they make us acutely aware of each other once again.

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Check out more photos of cherry blossoms in Stockholm in my imagebank.