The spring in Holland this year has been unusually warm, and that was bad news for the tulips. I could tell that we were getting to the end of the season, and so I went on another long bike ride one evening. I took the same path that my sister, her friend, and I rode along when they were here. After going through a little village, I came to the concrete bridge for the train, passed underneath, and got ready for the stunning spread of orange, red, and pink tulips.
But what did I see instead? A massacre! The guillotine had come to the tulip fields! I had been warned this would happen--one day, the family I live with had told me, while the tulips are still in their prime, the farmers will suddenly and without warning behead them all. The only evidence that remained at the scene of the crime was thousands of petals scattered between the rows and a few flowers here and there that had escaped.
It was really sad riding by so many empty fields. There were still some stretches of land, though, that hadn't yet been "condemned to the block" by the Queen of Hearts. So I got a few more pictures of Holland's bulb fields, including a number of mournful scenes with the sun setting over the last of the tulips!
I thought this field was particularly amazing. The sun was setting while I was standing here, and it was close to the same color as the tulips.
It's as if the colors in the sky are reflected, not only in the canal, but in the stripes of the field as well.
And here is the end!
And what do they do with all of the tulips when they cut them???
ReplyDeleteI would be a horrible tulip farmer--I would not have the heart to behead those beautiful tulip fields! I'm glad you were able to get a few more pictures before the last of the flowers met their fate. :)
ReplyDeleteHow lucky you are to have been able to take advantage of this spectacular time of year in the Netherlands. We wish we could have shared it with you in person but at least we have enjoyed your wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteLove
Grandma & Aunt Karen