All About the Famous Tulipa

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My first blog about our trip to Amsterdam has to be about the Netherlands' most famous export...the TULIP.  The two have become synonymous with one another.  Although commercial cultivation of this distinctive flower began in the Ottoman Empire.

We visited the Keukenhof on our last day in Amsterdam, booking tickets on a round-trip bus ride that took us out to the gardens and back to the city.  I was envisioning tulip fields like what I'd seen in Washington State during a visit to see my brother.  Just a side note, if you haven't heard of the Skagit Tulip Festival or even knew that they grow tulips in Washington State...you are missing out.  Just a tip - You don't have to go all the way to Europe to see some beautiful tulip fields.

But...back to Europe!  The Keukenhof is located in the tulip belt and you drive past fields of tulips on your way there.  If we'd had more time we could have rented bikes and rode the trails in the area.  The bulb fields are about a 19 mile strip between Haarlem and Leiden.  The Keukenhof, which was established in 1949, is not tulip fields.  It is manicured gardens with beautifully designed flower beds that are redesigned each year.  It is only open for a few months each year. 

The garden masters and crew pull up all of the bulbs and replant 7 million bulbs every fall, ensuring there are flowers in bloom the entire time the park is open. 

The day was cold, wet and overcast but we were prepared.  It had been raining all morning but it stopped almost the whole time we were in the gardens.  I think the rain drops made for some gorgeous photos. 

So this blog is going to be all about tulips.  Enjoy.
Ballerina
There are 2,200 types of tulips.
Mom...I think we need to go a size or two smaller
I think this is a crocus - the garden features other flowers too.
Virichic
Dream Touch
A river of flowers
Fringe gone wild
I called these cabbage tulips
These made me think of tea lights - lite from underneath
Flaming Parrot Double
I loved this dragon sculpture
Black Parrot
I hope you enjoyed some of our photos from the Keukenhof.  I think visits to the Keukenhof can be hit or miss on whether the flowers are in bloom.  Cause that part is up to Mother Nature.  But we fortunately timed it very well.  We could have spent several more hours in the park but we had a train back to Stuttgart to catch.  Don't worry though.  I'm not done with Amsterdam yet.  I'll do another blog soon highlighting our three days in the city. 

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