Springy spring

My favourite time of the year is finally here. Its spring in Amsterdam! Lovely sunny days with a refreshing breeze provide a perfect time for a stroll or picnic in the parks.
I have always taken full advantage of the little sun we get in this country. This year too I hope to take Mr Baby out everyday to enjoy the lovely Amsterdam parks.
It is these months when Amsterdam's beauty is at its peak. Lush green trees, soft fresh grass, even the ducks in the many canals of the city look more cheerful in this weather.
We deserve this long awaited spring. May it have a long life!

pic by Samir Malik

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Tulips!

'The land of tulips' I came to one and a half years ago, but to my disappointment I didn't live in a house facing the infamous dutch tulip fields. I live in an appartment that doesn't even have a garden, and whenever I try to bring some kind of plant in my house, the poor thing dies to remind me of my raw gardening skills.
The tulip fields are a very short lived attraction of Netherlands. They come around March and are gone by May already. For these two months opens the Keukenhof, the famous tulip garden of Netherlands adjacent to a big array of flower fields.
Last year in May with some friends from Canada we excitedly went to the Keukenhof. However, to our disappointment we found the tulip fields barren, and the garden flowers also breathing their last breaths. "It got too hot for them" said the garden manager. My canadian friend was more disappointed than I was, because somewhere in my heart I had a feeling that I will still be here next year, and maybe then I can see the tulip fields.
Well this year came March, and the opening of Keukenhof was announced. I asked my husband if we should plan a trip there and he looked at the baby, who hates his car seat. Sadly, we both fell silent.
Fate has its was of teasing me and on the iamsterdam website I found out that a sea of tulips is going to be displayed in the Amsterdam museum courtyard for four days 19th - 22nd April. This was my chance to see 30,000 tulips as advertised on the website. On Sunday, we got ready, and set off on the tram to the see the tulips. I dressed up extra special to take some nice pictures with the flowers. Excitedly we entered the courtyard and there in front of us was nothing more than four rows of red tulips. We stood in front of them looking at each other. "So thats it?" asked my husband. "I think when it comes to flowers 30,000 isn't a big number after all" I replied.
Once again dissapointed to have missed the sight of the tulip fields I hung my face down, but my husband eager to cheer me up said "Don't worry I'm sure we are going to be here next year too".

Spring in Amsterdam

I came to Amsterdam in the windy October to welcome the chilly winters. It was hard to enjoy the true spirits of the city in the snow, which has now magnificently bloomed with the spring flowers.
Now I am woken up with a bright ray of sunshine which shines through my thin curtains, that didn't seem so thin a few months ago. As I look outside the windows of my 9th floor apartment I can see greenery everywhere instead of barren trees. And now I really see why Netherlands is called so beautiful.
Its really a joy to be here in the Spring. The city is flooded with tourists, as I heard an American girl in the tram yesterday, in her loud American accent 'Does anyone actually live here?'