Around the World: Part Ten

Tulip, Tulip, Which Tulip do you want?

11.05.2019: Tour Day 5, Country 4, City 1

It was an amazing sunrise from my room window in Schiedam; like the one in Paris. As usual we had our breakfast, checked out from the hotel, loaded our luggage in the bus and were off to our first sightseeing in Holland.

Keukenhof Tulip Garden

It is a flower garden, situated in Lisse, South Holland, Netherland. Keukenhof means kitchen garden. It is an abode of approx. 7 million flower bulbs and spreads over an area of 32 hectares. Here are the different types of tulips: 

Single Tulip: cup shaped flower with six petals, there are early bloomers and late bloomers

Double Tulip: multi-layer tulip aka peony tulip

Darwin Hybrid Tulip: pyramid shaped blooms

Fringed Tulip: contrasting frilly petals aka crispa tulip

Fosterian Tulip: bowl shaped with 8 petals aka emperor tulip 

Griegii Tulip: streaked tulips

Kaufmanniana Tulip: flat pointed petals aka Waterlily tulip

Lily Flowered Tulip: star shaped

Parrot Tulip: large flowers with feathery, ruffled petals

Viridiflora Tulip: cup shaped

Triumph Tulip: cup shaped

Remembrandt Tulip: with deep reddish or purple streaks aka broken tulip

We reached the venue at around 09:30am, got our tickets and passed the entrance gate. There was a restaurant at the left and a bridge straight ahead of us. I crossed the bridge and got lost into the different bunches of tulips scattered all over the place. As I went towards the right, there was a lineup of tall triangular green bushes encircling small water bodies in which ducks were swimming. At the end of these green landscapes, there was a fountain. There was a house having different arrangements of flowers in bags, baskets, pots and drums. There was a bridge to cross, at the very end of which was a Windmill. There were boat rides available, into the waters of Holland. There was a house of shoes, souvenir shops, etc. Further there was a boat full of flowers. There was a birds section having a couple of parrots and also a section for bunny rabbits. The white rabbit was too enthusiastic to get clicked while the brown and grey rabbits were sleeping on the grass. 

A lot was captured through the lens of the eyes and that of the camera, but the heart was still not ready to leave the garden. Having fulfilled our eyes by the blossomed tulips, we left for our lunch destination McDonalds, Arnoudstraat, Hillegom. The lunch consisted of a burger, fries and apple juice.

Read next: Around the World: Part Eleven