Dutch tulips
Tulips here in Holland are already past their prime (high season is mid to late April), but in the other Holland tulip time starts now: The annual Tulip Time Festival starts tomorrow in Holland, Michigan. With tulips, klompen dances, krakelingen, and parades, Holland celebrates its Dutch roots between tomorrow and 10 May.
Meanwhile, Ottawa's Tulip Festival started today and will last until 19 May. The origins of the festival is a gift of princess Juliana of The Netherlands. In 1945, she presented Canada with a gift of 100,000 tulip bulbs, as a thank-you for providing a safe haven to the Dutch royal family during the war and for the role the Canadian army played in the liberation of The Netherlands. Now, more than three million tulips bloom, and an estimated 600,000 people from all over the world will visit the festival.
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It's been a long time since we visited the Keukenhof, but every time I see a tulip it all comes back like we were there last week. What a beautiful and serene place!
ReplyDeleteYes, a visit to the Keukenhof in April or early May is a wonderful experience. It can be very crowded, though, especially in the weekends. If you want to see the flowers but avoid the crowds, a bicycle tour through the surrounding bulb region is a good (and cheap) alternative.
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