“Tulips were a tray of jewels.”~E.M. Forster, Howards End

Today, our last day together on the Amamora river cruise, we traveled to Keukenhof Gardens, which is the largest flower park in the world. Today was also the celebration of Kingsday! Since the title for this cruise was tulip time, we have traveled to Hoorn, to a tulip farm to be educated on the propagation of tulip bulbs, to Antwerp for the Floralia Flower Show and today was indeed the piece de resistance at Keukenhof in Amsterdam!

Keukenhof Park covers an area of 79 acres and approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted in the gardens annually.  Keukenhof is widely known for its tulips, it also features numerous other flowers, including hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, roses, carnations, and irises. It was a lovely day and we wandered the gardens for a couple of hours stopping to take photos of what seemed like every other minute!

“I wonder about tulips…how they somehow find a way
To grace us with their beauty before they slowly fade away.

If only people were more like tulips and could somehow find a way
To grace this world with beauty before they slowly fade away.”

I Wonder About Tulips ~ Jim Yerman

There were also some unusual statues and artwork, food and drinks, and of course shops! You could order tulip bulbs to be shipped to your home, it’s really too bad that the deer love tulips (for a different reason) as much as I do.

“Tiny Tim would probably tiptoe through the tulips.
He and his sweetie would lay there and drink mint juleps.
They would enjoy the beautiful sunshine.
And he softly kissing his lady so fine.
And softly stroking her hair of blond.
Enjoying the colorful pretty tulips and having so much fun.”

Colorful Tulips ~ by Lamar Cole

“The most beautiful things in life are not things. They’re people and places, memories, and pictures. They’re feelings and moments, and smiles and laughter.” ~ Unknown