this is taken outside of Noordwijkerhout, just behind the dunes of the Northsea. These tulips were deep-red, as you can see.

Mosaic at the main entrance.

Hyacinthis and daffodils

Hyacinthus

Not exactly a beauty, but not bad either.

South-Holland landscapes -

Flower bulbs are grown in various parts of Goeree. It starts of course with the sandy soil and the right weather, but the result is also a festive sight every year after the otherwise gray landscape in the winter. Red, yellow, purple and the green of the leaves. It is a short period in which this can be seen because after some time the tulips are "headed" by removing only the flower. The bulb itself can then grow strongly.

Tulips.

Tulpen.

Egmond. Noord-Holland.

South-Holland landscapes -

The regions have an excellent climate for bulb growing. There is quite a lot of rain in the relatively mild autumn and winter (due to the proximity of the sea), while the relatively cool but sunny spring and usually also the summer run dry. Three quarters of the year (not in winter) is therefore agricultural activity in the region.

After flowering, the flowers are headed and whether or not processed in floral wreaths. In the summer, when the plant is dried up, the bulbs are harvested, the plant remains burnt on the land and the bulbs are peeled by hand - a nice extra income for the youth and seasonal workers from home and abroad - or (with the hyacinths) ) concave. The bulbs are then dried and disinfected in bulb sheds at a high temperature. In the autumn they are planted again, after which straw is spread on the land and run in to protect the bulbs from frost. In the spring, the soil will start to heat under the straw, causing the bulb to flower.

Voor de liefhebbers onder ons die wel een beetje van Photoshoppen houden :)

I thought maybe it was about time that I posted some more pictures.... So here they are!

... before I retired to my cabin to pack and sleep for a while -- it was the last night on board.

Another photo of it, as we lined up on deck to be briefed about our lifeboat.

Flower field of pink hyacinths with the occasional purple hyacinth.

... enables this man to lower a bucket of paint to his colleague waiting on the dockside!

... making me think of the Queen Elizabeth 2... my first love in ships.

If I can make out the name on the ship in the background, she is the Ottawa Express.

Our first destination. Sadly, closed, as it was Queens' Day. But we had a good look at the exterior anyway, and managed to take a moment inside the café too.

en.beurs-van-berlage.nl/index.php

... coming up.

I was told afterwards that the new CMV logo was stuck onto the funnel with a post-it note!

This is when we are said to have hit the wooden dock wall sufficiently to have damaged it visibly. Marco Polo only had a few square inches of scraped paint to show!

Each deck has both a name and a number. I found the numbers very much easier to retain!

Pacific Deck, two decks down from my cabin. This alleyway showed the sheer of the ship, which was quite pronounced and rather beautiful.

The photographer waiting for the next batch of passengers, to be photographed in front of the Marco Polo backdrop.

Boot tochtje op een mooie april zaterdag middag tussen de bollenvelden/Boattrip between the bulbfields on a sunny saterday afternoon

outdoorbare commented recently that as I lived in holland I should post some pictures of tulips...

Whilst out walking in the dunes near egremont we passed some tulip fields. You can see here how they are grown in narrow rows, each row often flowering at a slightly different time to ensure the harvest lasts over a number of weeks...

Fly to this location (using Google Earth)

West Blyth.

Bulbfield, Bant's Carn, St Mary's, Scilly Isles

Taken from the narrow path towards the gangway where we were allowed to walk. Very annoying security precautions!

... not "Purser's Office". I was not too sure about those Buddhas in niches over the desks...

South-Holland landscapes -

In the 17th century (1630 - circa 1637) a bizarre tulip mania arose in the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , also known as "tulip-rung", "tulip madness", "tulip mania" or "bulb-madness": tulip bulbs suddenly became speculative merchandise . The madness pushed up prices to an exorbitant level, even until the bulb was worth its weight in gold. The craze was at its peak at the end of 1636, beginning of 1637. In February 1637, the "bulb market" collapsed just as suddenly as it had emerged; many bulb speculators remained destitute. Tulips were grown in all sorts of colors and depicted on still lifes by artists, such as Nicolaes van Verendael . Often the stripes on the flower were not genetically determined, but the result of a virus infection .

Keukenhof Gardens in Holland.

Nederland, Flevoland, Noordoostpolder, 16-04-2012; IJzerpad met bloembollenvelden die op het punt van bloeien staan. Boerderijen en kavels op regelmatige onderlingen afstand, voorbeeld van moderne grootschalige polder met rationele verkaveling. De aanleg van de polder maakte deel uit van de Zuiderzeewerken (plan Lely) en viel in 1942 droog. De meeste boerderijen (en dorpen) zijn van na de tweede wereldoorlog. The northeast polder (NOP), is an example of modern large-scale polder with rational allotment. The construction of the polder was part of the Zuiderzee Works (Lely plan), in 1942 the polder was dry. Most of the building, farmhouses and villages, is post-war.

QQQ

luchtfoto (toeslag), aerial photo (additional fee required)

foto/photo Siebe Swart

Nederland, Flevoland, Noordoostpolder, 16-04-2012; Noordermeerweg, overzicht van de polder met rechts het IJsselmeer. Voorbeeld van moderne grootschalige polder met rationele verkaveling. De aanleg van de polder maakte deel uit van de Zuiderzeewerken (plan Lely) en viel in 1942 droog. De meeste boerderijen (en dorpen) zijn van na de tweede wereldoorlog. The northeast polder (NOP), is an example of modern large-scale polder with rational allotment. The construction of the polder was part of the Zuiderzee Works (Lely plan), in 1942 the polder was dry. Most of the building, farmhouses and villages, is post-war.

QQQ

luchtfoto (toeslag), aerial photo (additional fee required)

foto/photo Siebe Swart

Presumably an original. Very pleasant light.

... to a tunnel under the Schelde River. Reminded me of the escalators of the London Underground -- old and deep.

Not open that day, it being Queens' Day. The café staff were in attendance though, serving drinks on the square. They allowed us to catch this quick glance of the café. The main hall of the building was in darkness, but very imposing to see.