Tulip Time

It's Spring, the flowers are out, the tulips are blooming...  but nowhere are the tulips blooming like in the Netherlands.  We were lucky to do a river cruise through the Netherlands in late March, just as the famous flowers from that country were starting to do their thing.

Probably the most famous place to enjoy tulips the the Netherlands is the Keukenhof, an area with acres upon acres of tulip fields, huge grounds landscaped with hundreds of plots filled with flowers of many kinds, and a half dozen pavilions each with unique displays of flowers.  The place has quite the history going back to Dutch royalty, and is a primary stop for the tulip trade (the plots on the grounds are tended by individual growers, who have tulip buyers on speed dial...).  Let's get started with pics...

Some interesting sculptures add to the flavor of the grounds...

And more from inside the pavilions...

 And some closer shots...

Guests could vote for their favorite at this exhibit, with pretty maids all in a row...

An obligatory windmill sits on the grounds, allowing views of the tulip acreage and the visitor grounds...

The Keukenhof is only open for about 6 weeks in the Spring, yet millions of folks check it out every year.  A very busy place!  Interestingly, once the tulips bloom, particularly in the fields, they are cut down and destroyed, no one wants the flowers!  It's the bulbs!  The bulbs are a major export from the country.  Knowing the Dutch, they must recycle the cut flowers somehow...  I have many more pictures from the Keukenhof...  orchids, hippies, bizarre babes!  Stay tuned...

Big Euro Trip--Oddities at the End

As we wind down our exciting trip abroad, and a month before leaving again on another Euro trip, I finalize my posts of this trip with the odd and exciting we found along the way.

French politics commented on the US state of affairs...

A romantic bakery...

A classic stereo found in a restored Dutch castle...

A racing sedan left out to pasture...

My favorite pub in Lyon... (actually never went inside, just liked the name)

A halloween window (we were in France in October)...

A neat mask on a storefront...

A French hot dog shop...

A dog warning...

Out of stock!!!  French can be so interesting...

A fun store front...

A couple enticements to a local Dutch pub...

Me below sea level...  hope the dikes hold...

And, at long last, the end...  (the very confluence in Lyon).

Hope you enjoyed at least a little of this trip with us...  Stay tuned for more and more travel adventures.

Big Euro Trip--Doors

Seems like photographers are compelled to take shots of interesting doors, and I'm no exception.  So here's a few I found on our trip.

A hatch from the ancient hilltop village of Perouge...

From Toulon...

A couple nighttime pics from Viviers...

Finally, from Vienne...  curious door knob...

OK, finally getting close to the end.  One post coming with a collection of oddities (of course!).

Big Euro Trip--Dutch Adventure

God, I'm dragging this out...  I need to get off my butt and finish, please.

Anyway, at the end of our trip, we spent a few days in the Netherlands with Agnes and Nico (thanks so much for your time and efforts). 

We visited the Hague to check out the Girl with the Pearl Earring, which didn't do much for me at first, but I kept returning to it over and over.  There's something about seeing famous paintings live, versus posters or in books, that make a greater impression than the copies.

But my favorite part of the Hague was a huge mall within the central part of town, and all the modern Deco features, even railings to the subway and garbage cans.

 The Hague is certainly a real city, I wish we could have spent more time exploring.

But we were off to Delft, not so much for pottery (it's everywhere in Delft), but to visit a college friend and wander around.  A great old church...

The next day it was off to a famous castle and grounds... the Kasteel de Haar.  It's been in many movies and is quite the experience, beyond pictures...  check out the web site for a much better description.  (and such a lovely couple visited the castle)

On our last day, we visited Zandvoort, famous for it's race track and beach city atmosphere.  We didn't make it to the race track, since it was late in the day, but we had a wonderful dinner on the beach, at sunset, on the last day of the season.  And I want to stay in this hotel (the Palace) when I come for race season (I hope!).

So that was it...  except at least one more future post with many exciting pictures of strange and wonderful things we discovered.  Stay tuned...