‘Tis the season for Keukenhof, the 6 weeks or so in the year for snapping tulips, enjoying rows, buckets, and seemingly endless fields of all shades of flowers, and when bus-fleets of tourists descend en masse to the small region of Lisse, a quick drive southwest of Amsterdam. For obvious reasons Keukenhof has been closed this year, a huge blow for this seasonal event, the entire park and blooming season completely shut out to anyone looking forward to finally seeing people and nature come together. 

However, happy as I was with our recent excursion to Hellevoetsluis – enough to fortify me for the coming days – and with an eye to stay as far away from other people, Teko suggested why not drive to see the flower fields this season, and instead of going to Lisse where most would think to go if ever, we’d head out north instead. Given the great, sunny weather again today, it certainly seemed sound enough. In the safe confines of our car, it was easy to get to the colorful fields that not only were free to enter and peacefully isolated, they were completely empty, helped no doubt by it being inaccessible to public transport. Walking around was a luxury, though at one point a farmer did come out to tell us it was okay to walk around the fields but not through them so as not to damage the plants somehow. Lesson learned. 

We’re lucky in a sense that we have the luxury of our own vehicle to be able to get around, it makes it incredibly easy to be spontaneous when temptation calls. Given distancing regulations in place this freedom is no more important as it is now – it’s without a doubt a necessary salve to corona madness, and its less insidious cousin, cabin fever.