Many of you will remember the disappointing trip to Keukenhof last year. The short version is that when one goes to the “largest, most beautiful flower park in the world…with approximately seven million planted bulbs”, one does not expect to lots of money to see…a park full of stems.

So last year I complained to the park that they did not so much as warn us that there were no flowers before paying our money and going in, and (to my great satisfaction in the face of my European friends’ shock that I would do such a thing!) the park sent me free tickets for this year. So last Saturday, back I went.

So am I happy this time? Yes. While the tulips were just coming in and the famous colorful fields of Lisse were only about 15% in bloom, the air was full of flower perfume and 15% of color was enough to understand how devastatingly gorgeous it must be in full season. How special it must be to live in that city, at least at this time of year.

The park itself was about 75% in bloom…

Of course, you might notice from the last photo that for approximately every flower bulb in the park, there is also a tourist. The parking lot must’ve had 100 tour buses in it, and there were so many elderly people there we hypothesized that they’d been wandering the maze of the park since they were our age. We thought that after 1 hour we’d be in serious need of some Valium, but luckily the crowds naturally thin out at about 3pm.

So after 5 years trying to see the famous Dutch Spring, my persistence has finally paid off. And certainly there’s no better way to celebrate the season! While I am thrilled with my weekend, I am more determined than ever to see the blub fields in full bloom, riding my bike in the scented breeze. Hey…everybody needs goals, right?