Who knew
that the word “Turban” in Latin would eventually turn into “Tulipa?” I guess tulips do resemble turbans in a way…
and that makes sense, seeing as how it was the Turks who cultivated the tulip
bulb in the first place. The mountainous
regions of central Asia still harbor wild
tulips today. The Dutch didn’t get a
firm hold on the tulip until 1593 when they were discovered growing in
neighboring Vienna. I wonder if botanist Carolus Clusius
encountered any frustration during his experiments with them, before he
realized that these perennials only pop out of the ground once a year…
Seriously, did his experimental garden finally “explode” with tulips one April
after he’d given up the summer before?
Tulips are
pretty, and even though they were fairly regularly cultivated in Holland by 1624, only the
wealthy could afford them. Each bulb
cost the equivalent of $1,500 in today’s money!
Fast forward to modern times and not long ago, you could buy them for a penny each in Holland… Holland, Michigan
that is! If you want to see lots of them
(and by “lots” I mean several million of them) in bloom, head to Holland, Michigan;
but you better hurry!
Location: Holland, Michigan
Dates: May 2 – 9, 2009
Closest Big Cities: Detroit,
Chicago, Kalamazoo
Star of the show: Tulips!
Events: Carnival-Midway, 2 Million Tulips
in bloom, All kinds of music at Tulipalooza, “Tip-toe through the Tulips” fun
run
Pageantry: Town Cryer competition
Duration: Eight Days
Website: https://www.tuliptime.com/
History: The Tulip Festival was born out
of a “Woman’s Literary Club” meeting in 1927.
Miss Lida Rogers (a biology teacher) suggested that Holland should adopt the Tulip as it’s
official flower and furthermore, they should have a festival to celebrate
them. The following year, 100,000 tulips
were purchased from Holland! They were sold for a penny apiece, and
planted in almost every square inch of city park and land they could find.
Holland (also known today as “Tulip City”)
has a population of about 35,000 people.
Their humble Tulip festival boasts an excess of 500,000 attendees and
was voted the “Best Small Town Festival in America!”
Parts of Holland,
MI look exactly like areas of the Netherlands. The pictures here were taken in Michigan, not anywhere near Amsterdam.
If you really want to experience and authentic slice of the Netherlands on a fraction of the budget you’d
need to fly to Amsterdam,
then this is the place for you!
EXTRA: If
you have questions for Ken regarding business travel, hotels, airplanes, etc,
please call 1-877-49-EXPERT. Your questions will be recorded and Ken will
answer the best ones in his Ask
the Expert podcast show.
