Yes, that is a word.

 

Tulipomania was a period in the Dutch Golden Age when people had an obsession with tulips, and prices became excessive leading to what is generally considered the first recorded economic bubble burst.

Tulipomania is still a thing in The Netherlands – the obsession part, not the economic bubble part.

And I caught the fever.

 

When I arrived in Amsterdam, I noticed the tulips immediately. Restaurants and shops display pretty bundles in vases. It seems you wouldn’t have to walk more than a block to find a street vendor who will sell you a dozen.

I planned a day trip from Amsterdam to visit Keukenhof and the surrounding bulb fields.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof is a huge historic park open only eight weeks each year where over 800,000 visitors flock to see a unique garden design created with over seven million flowering bulbs. Half of these are tulips in a total of 800 varieties.

You cannot really grasp the size of this park and the quantity of flowers until you experience it for yourself.

I visited on the day of the Flower Parade (more on that in an upcoming post). I knew it would be busy, but that was an understatement. The photo below doesn’t quite capture the size of the crowd.

 

I do not love crowds. And I’m not really that into flowers. I think I could only name a handful of flowers.

But there is something special about Keukenhof.

 

 

I spent hours meandering through Keukenhof with my camera.

 

One would think you would tire of taking photos of tulips.

I never hit that point.

 

Maybe it is because of the unique designs and combinations.

Each year 30 Keukenhof gardeners spend three months planting bulbs by hand.

 

Maybe it is because of the incredible vibrant colors.

 

Maybe it is because of the surprising shapes found in nature.

Maybe it is because of how the light hits the tulips creating new perspectives.

Maybe it is because Keukenhof challenges you to capture a unique photo of something that has already been photographed a million times.

 

How did I do?

 

Visit Keukenhof

• Plan to spend 3-5 hours in the park itself. Beyond the outdoor flower gardens, there is artwork, pavilions with flower shows, a playground and petting zoo for kids, and events throughout the season.  Get details on the Keukenhof website.
• The timing of the tulips blooming is dependent on Mother Nature and how warm or cold the winter has been. Target mid-to-late April and adjust if you can based on the season.
• If you want to avoid crowds, go on a weekday (non-holiday) and get there right when they open.
• It is very easy to get there by bus from the Schiphol airport in about 25 minutes.

 

Disclosure:  I was a guest of Keukenhof, however, they did not give me anything that caused me to catch the tulip fever.