In celebration of spring’s return here in Croatia, (and hopefully soon for those of you in chillier climes), I share this image from my photo archives, taken at the magnificent Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands.
When I’ve visited Holland during the spring months, I couldn’t decide which I preferred — the perfectly-manicured gardens of Keukenhof? Or the fields of tulips, awaiting harvest, that resemble vibrant carpets of red, yellow, or purple.
Tricia A. Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer. Born in Europe but raised in the United States, she has lived in Valletta, Malta; Heidelberg, Germany; and Split, Croatia. An avid globetrotter who has visited more than 65 countries, she has a penchant for off-season travel. Tricia has learned that travel’s greatest gift is not sightseeing, rather it is the interactions with people. Some of her most memorable experiences have been sharing a bottle of champagne with distant French cousins in Lorraine, learning how to milk goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village, and ringing in the Vietnamese New Year with a Hanoi family. She welcomes any opportunity to practice French and German, and she loves delving into a place’s history and artisanal food scene.
A former education administrator and training specialist, Tricia has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in international relations. She and her husband, Shawn, married in the ruins of a snowy German castle. They’ve been known to escape winter by basing themselves in coastal Croatia or Southeast Asia.
Her writing has appeared in Fodor’s Travel, Frommer’s, and International Living.
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12 thoughts on “Photo du Jour: Spring Blooms – Keukenhof Gardens, the Netherlands”
The fields of tulips are beautiful! One of my favourite flowers! I will have to make sure I visit Holland in tulip season. Luckily, due to historical relations between Canada and the Dutch, every May we have the Tulip Festival, with thousands of tulip bulbs send over to us from the Dutch.
Anita, my husband is originally from Canada, and his parents told me about the Dutch connection and the tulips in Canada. How lovely!
If they’re some of your favorite flowers, then you’d love the array of them on display at Keukenhof – and with such fun names conjuring up images of ice cream, greeting cards and classic personalities. I’ve been there twice, but would return in the springtime in a heartbeat.
We are heading to the Netherlands in May and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to see both the fields of tulips and Keukenhof. I can only imagine how stunning they look!
Hi Jenny, I’ve heard that the tulips have had a late start this season, because of unseasonably cold weather. Hopefully this means that you’ll still get to see a lot when you visit in May. I’ve always wanted to fly over the fields – must look like a vibrant patchwork quilt!
Travels With Tricia 
The fields of tulips are beautiful! One of my favourite flowers! I will have to make sure I visit Holland in tulip season. Luckily, due to historical relations between Canada and the Dutch, every May we have the Tulip Festival, with thousands of tulip bulbs send over to us from the Dutch.
Anita, my husband is originally from Canada, and his parents told me about the Dutch connection and the tulips in Canada. How lovely!
If they’re some of your favorite flowers, then you’d love the array of them on display at Keukenhof – and with such fun names conjuring up images of ice cream, greeting cards and classic personalities. I’ve been there twice, but would return in the springtime in a heartbeat.
Pretty flowers :)
My camera was probably about to puff out smoke at the rate at which I was snapping shots here, Bashar. :)
What a beautiful sight. Now if I can just get the Dutch to send them to Southwest Florida, I would be in heaven and so would Florida. Anita is lucky.
Lynne, is it impossible to grow them there, or are there some varieties that can survive?
“The earth laughs in flowers” is one of my favorite poems of Waldo Emerson.
I just discovered it, Cornelia. :)
Thanks Tricia, that is gorgeous
Melinda, glad you enjoyed this glimpse of spring. Those of us in the northern hemisphere are definitely eager for it to return. :)
We are heading to the Netherlands in May and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to see both the fields of tulips and Keukenhof. I can only imagine how stunning they look!
Hi Jenny, I’ve heard that the tulips have had a late start this season, because of unseasonably cold weather. Hopefully this means that you’ll still get to see a lot when you visit in May. I’ve always wanted to fly over the fields – must look like a vibrant patchwork quilt!
Will this be your first time in the Netherlands?