April Showers and their Subsequent Flowers

The Netherlands has its fair share of rain, particularly in the spring.  However, the rain's not so much a done-and-over-with sort of thing and is instead more of a power, lurking in the clouds until you take your bike out to leave from class or go to the store.  It has a tendency to loom over your day and prey on you at the most opportune moments to mess up you plans.  That being said, the devious nature of the rain, make the sun even more glorious when it feels so inclined to bless us with its presence.

Yesterday, a couple of friends and I decided to chance the rain to check out the Keukenhof Tulip Fields near Amsterdam.  The entire train rides and bus rides there and back were cloudy and rainy but the sun managed to cooperate the entire time we were wandering around in the fields.  I guess karma was on our side and the sun wanted to be sure we knew it, but the day turned out beautifully and we had a great time.

Keukenhof is a world famous tulip field with more than seven million flowers in it.  There are flowerbeds scattered throughout the park walkways and fields of tulips growing across the canal.  There is also a classic Dutch windmill.  Overall, the park seemed to embody the stereotypical image that people typically have of the Netherlands.  Nonetheless, you can't exactly look yourself in the mirror if you spend a semester in the Netherlands and don't hunt down tulips and the occasional windmill.

Because the peak growing season for tulips is so short, and also because it was a Saturday, the park was pretty packed.  Getting further into the park offered a chance for more quite and solitude and time to stop and smell the roses, er tulips. However, the entrance area had a kind of Disney World-esque quality to that fully equipped with people in costumes, cotton candy, and people speaking every different language posing to get their picture taken every way you turn.

Here's a couple of pictures to prove to you how beautiful of park Keukenhof was...
I realize that there's an excessive amount, but I know Grandma appreciates them. :)