Tulip Brilliance at Keukenhof

The Keukenhof is Holland's magisterial flower garden--the largest in the world. Its 32 hectares (80 acres) offer some seven million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, for just eight weeks each spring, absolutely at their peak today. Though the sun did not make an appearance, it hardly seemed to matter. I was overwhelmed by the sophisticated layout--we passed endless variations of plots and color in nearly three hours of wandering, over at most one-third of the garden. A superb experience, much beyond my admittedly naïve expectations.

This image is best viewed large. No single shot could posssibly do justice to the Keukenhof, but I think this one conveys the dazzling intensity and variety of the tulips' colors. The garden is about 90 minutes from Amsterdam by public transportation--buses which run regularly.