AMSTERDAM, March 22 — Several thousand visitors from around the globe basked in the unseasonably radiant Dutch sunshine as they flocked to the Thursday opening of Keukenhof, the world’s largest flower park.
Each spring, droves of visitors come to gawk at the millions of tulips of every shade and hue blossoming across the park’s 32-hectare expanse, southwest of Amsterdam.
“We couldn’t wait to come here and visit Keukenhof, which we saw on TikTok and Instagram,” Mikhaela, 19, who came with her boyfriend from Greece, told AFP.
“We wanted to see what it looked like in real life,” she added.
After welcoming more than 1.4 million people to the park in 2024, Keukenhof was expecting nearly 20,000 visitors for the opening day of its 76th year, a spokeswoman told AFP.
That expected bumper crop of selfie-takers — the park claims to be one of the most photographed spots in the world — was largely due to the fine weather, far from a guarantee in the Dutch March.
“We’re lucky that it’s sunny out. I dressed in layers so now I’m carrying my other layers,” said John Martinez, shedding his jacket and sweater in the heat.
The 58-year-old had come straight from Florida with his family wanting “to see the tulip fields and that’s part of the Holland experience”.
Though 80 per cent of Keukenhof’s visitors come from abroad, thousands of dedicated Dutch still make the trek to the see the flowers, like 78-year-old pensioner Henrick Lenk.
“You buy a season ticket… you see the seasons change,” explained the resident of Lisse, where the park is.
“Now you have the crocuses and daffodils and later you can love tulips,” said Lenk, who says he has visited Keukenhof more than 100 times.
Indeed, visitors wishing to see the shimmering colours of tulips, who go by evocative names such as “Queen of the night” or “Tres chic”, will have to wait a few more weeks before the flowers are in full bloom. — ETX Studio
