For those of you that know me, you know I love to garden. For those of you that know me and John as a couple, you know that John does the vegetables, and I do the flowers. Flowers are my jam. And so, when the iconic Keukenhof Gardens announced that they would not open this year, I was crushed. In addition to this closure, the COVID-19 regulations seemed as though they might keep us from even seeing the world-renowned flower fields from afar.
As my hopes for a classic Dutch Spring began to wane, John and I decided to get creative. We MAY or may not have stretched a governmental rule or two (not pertaining to the virus…merely to driver’s license validity…no big, people). But ultimately, our “creative thinking” (i.e. stubbornness) landed us with a small rental van into which we loaded John’s bike, my scooter, and high hopes of locating some beautiful blooms.
Forty-five minutes later with hopes still high, we entered Lisse, an area known for its bulbs. Pulling into a parking spot, however, we discovered that the field of tulips to our left was JUST SHY of blooming. As we began our scooter/bike ride, it quickly became clear that we were simply too early for most of the tulips :( I was admittedly not the happiest camper in the world…but my disappointment waned when we had a realization…
Certain types of flower bulbs have earlier blooming periods, and we were in peak season for two of these types! Soon enough, seas of yellow and white daffodils and pink, purple, and white hyacinths with the sweetest fragrance took the place of our original expectations for tulips. In the end, we rode much of the suggested “tulip field bike route”, took about 500 pictures, had a delicious milkshake, purchased several bunches of cut hyacinth flowers, and returned to Delft fully prepped for flower field excursion 2.0.
Yep…you heard me right. Two weeks later, still enchanted by the daffodils and hyacinths, and still stubborn enough to want to see the famous Dutch tulips in full bloom, we rented the SAME van …loaded up the SAME supplies into the back…drove to the SAME area and parked in the SAME spot where the “just-shy-of-blooming” tulip field had completely transformed.
Over the two weeks that had passed, the green leaves and stems of many fields had erupted into tulips of all shapes and sizes. Never before have I seen anything like it, and I likely never will again…at least not in the same way. In a non-COVID year, this area sees nearly 17 million tourists between March and May. For this reason, among others, I considered it an immense gift that instead of battling thousands of people for the perfect Instagram shot, our only companions for several hours were rows of vivid colors and the quiet tapping of the flowers against one another with each passing breeze.
A final “win” on this adventure was the discovery of a flower nursery that was selling pots of tulip and daffodil bulbs. Did we get a little out of hand? Maybe. But if there’s one thing the Wanbergs don’t do, it’s miss out on a bargain. And so, after a lovely day, we loaded up John’s bike, my scooter, TEN pots of bulbs, FIFTY cut tulips, smiles a mile wide, and hearts as full as that tiny rental van.
Who would have thought that seeing a tulip field would feel like such a huge victory? I mean, we LIVE in the Netherlands…it’s tulip central. And yet, the gift of actually being able to complete this simple journey was a profound one. Upon our arrival in Delft, we proceeded to deliver potted daffodils and tulips to many of our friends, while still ending up with enough plants to produce an apartment closely resembling a florist shop (as pictured).
Apart from visiting the fields, we’ve had many other quarantine blessings as well…not the least of these being the beautiful weather. Blue skies and sun have covered us more days than not, allowing me to get out on many “safe-distance” walks with my friends. I don’t know that there’s a single park in Delft that hasn’t been graced with our presence 😊 In addition, our apartment complex added a table and set of benches in the courtyard upon which we have hosted several socially-distanced happy hours, complete with separate charcuterie boards for each family in attendance. We even figured out how to share dinner with our friends by opening their large dining room window to the street.
In a short period of time, I’ve shifted from vast expectations of travelling the world to finding joy and satisfaction in a walk with friends, or an outing just 45 minutes from our home here. It seems my perspectives on “adventure” are continually morphing, and the criteria of experiences that lead me to gratefulness are becoming less and less strict or complex.
I’m considering each of these modified meetings and adventures a “little victory” in the quarantine madness. It’s a small taste of the “normal” we miss and crave, and a reminder of the joy that waits to be found in simple daily affairs we often take for granted. Praising God for His faithfulness in providing what we need for today, and thanking Jesus for being the ultimate fulfillment of all that our hearts long for.