A quick trip into the town of Franeker before hoisting anchor, and then we crossed the Waddenzee, which is normally very, very calm, but decided to be a bit choppy today. The Salvinia held steady, however, and soon we were back in the narrow channels. And suddenly we are in the midst of one tulip field after another. Row upon row of blazing color. I heard more than one person say, “How many pictures of tulip fields do you need to take?” Good question but we kept on shooting. Tulips are grown in Holland like we grow corn in Kansas. So the tulips are allowed to bloom to check for color. After that, the flowers are removed and the rest of the plant is allowed to go dormant as part of the process for growing the famous bulbs that are shipped all over the world.
Shanty singers came on board to end our day with some lively Dutch tunes. Quite a colorful day, in more ways than one!