When people think of the Netherlands, they think of windmills, wooden shoes and tulips. And if you have ever been to Keukenhof, you will definitely remember it. This is where a sort of open-air museum cum flower factory welcomes tourists fro all over the world. In the park grounds you walk past various presentations of tulips. In the greenhouses you can explore the various types and names. And in the fields next to all of this you can be astounded by the depth of color of all the tulips being grown for sale.
When I first saw those colours I seriously thought that they had been painted - or that my glasses had somehow enhanced the colours. It just didn’t seem possible for some of those colours to be real. And I have since often thought of how wonderful it is going to be when we are Home with God and can really see color as He has made it. It will astound even more.
But these tulips are not Dutch! Yes, flowers of all kinds do very well in these countries and the Dutch perfected the flower market (as they perfected lots of other markets, selling being their strong suit). But the tulip came from Iran. The name ’tulip’ may have come from a word for ‘turban’ (although this is not certain). The cultivation may have begun as early as the 10th century in Iran, but the trade was taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century. One tulip bulb could at one time be used to by whole parcels of land.
But these days, I can go into the supermarket and purchase a bundle of 10 or more for less than 5 euro. And throughout the year I can purchase roses, carnations, lilies, or whole bouquets for under 10 euro. This is nice when I want to make sure that my wife knows how much I love her and to add a touch of color and Spring to the dark winter days.
(The picture is of the flower auction in the Netherlands)
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