Holland! (Part 2)

The second half of our Holland trip was spent at Keukenhof Gardens. This is where the famous tulips of the world are planted and raised--over 7 million bulbs every year are planted by hand! There are so many different varieties; there are so many different styles of gardens. The grounds were enormous with plenty to look at.
I must say, when we first walked in, we were all a bit disappointed. Where were the bulbs? They hadn't bloomed yet? But as we walked further in, evidence of the 7 million bulbs stared brightly at us. I am of the opinion that not all flowers bloom at the same time--even early spring flowers like tulips. Just like people, some tulips may be super-early bloomers, and others bloom a little later. If we had gone a month later, we might have missed out on the earlier bloomers. Tit-for-tat.
The gardens offered different pathways to follow as well as other varieties of early spring flowers and flowering trees. The further we walked in, the more beautiful it became.
We saw several stone figures: a frog, dancing bears, cute baby elephant, hippy hippo, hugging bunnies... Then we came across this larger-than-life wooden dog, wearing the collar of shame. It was quite random and there was nothing else like it (that we saw) in all the park. I'm not shocked by such oddities anymore, as they seem to pop up now and again, but I still find humor in them.
There was a windmill we were able to tour. We climbed up and could see the fields where tulips were cultivated for use in the annual tulip parade. I tried over and over to get a picture with the windmill's blade in it. It was turning so quickly, the best I could get is what you see.

In front of the windmill was a dance performance by the cutest little 4- and 5-year-olds in pink tutus and tights, and many parents. You could sort out the parents from the rest of the audience by their enthused faces. Also, they were the ones sitting in the chairs.
Around the bend, we found Fred Flintstone's car. We had fun getting pictures, then playing the part of photographer for others.
We stopped for some hot chocolate. It wasn't cold, but the weather was cool enough that the leisurely walking around outside did not generate enough heat to keep us completely warm. The hot chocolate was quite rich and I couldn't finish it, but it did warm me up.
The next sections of the gardens were my favorite. Hundred-year-old trees lined the walkways. I could almost feel their wisdom as they looked down upon me. I tried to soak some of it up. But we soon got distracted by stepping stones that took us out onto a little lake. There were no handles here, so a tiny slip would mean a very wet, cold, uncomfortable ride home. Nonetheless, we did enjoy feeding the ducks (I had Teddy Grahams in my bag) and trying to get them to come closer. There was no sign to prohibit feeding them, so I didn't feel guilty.
The time was drawing nearer to meeting back at the bus. We didn't get to meander the rest of the way through the gardens, but still enjoyed the beauty as we walked with purpose. I insisted I stop (arguing with myself that the bus could wait 10 extra seconds) to get a couple of pictures. I'm glad I did as two of my favorite pictures came from this walk (the last two pictures of this post).

At the entrance/exit there was a water fountain that was cool looking; so I took a picture. Jer pointed out that it looked like a dandelion. I had missed that, but can see it clear as day now. I guess I was still trying to sort out all the wisdom imparted me from the trees.
We weren't late for the bus, but made it right on time. All in all, it was a fabulous trip. I hope to do it again some day.