Tulips

For hundreds of years, the tulip – originally cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) – has been one of the most-loved flowers in the Netherlands. 

An enduring icon, it's as synonymous with the country as cheese, clogs and windmills. 

And who hasn’t heard about Keukenhof, the largest flower garden in the world? 

More than 7 million flower bulbs bloom in spring at the Keukenhof in Lisse, just 34 kilometers by road from Amsterdam. If you’ve ever seen a picture of a field of tulips, it’s probably Keukenhof. 

Yup, Keukenhof is the world’s largest bulb-flower garden and boasts more than 800 varieties of tulips. From end-March to the end of May, these tulips transform big parts of Holland into a colorful patchwork quilt. 

But do you know there’s another place you can also see tulips up close? China! 

Changchun Park in Changchun, capital of north-east China’s Jilin province, to be precise. Tulips have been planted here for 11 years and they have attracted their fair share of visitors. Last year, there were more than 80 varieties of tulips, blanketing an area of over 12,000 square meters. 

Check these photos out:

Both countries are on my travel bucket list. 

FYI, the tulip (Scientific name: Tulipa) is a member of the Lily (Liliaceae) plant family with over 110 species and thousands of hybrids and cultivars.

Postscript: I just wanted to get away from blogging about Covid-19 for awhile!