A Floating Flower Market
It was cold then and it was cold now. Although the canals were not iced over as they had been on that early January day a few years ago, the first time we found ourselves at the floating flower market was a bright blue sky with clear winter sun and just a hint of a change in the weather. It wasn't yet cold enough for gloves but ... we had been warned. Two days later the least we could expect was pouring rain. After a balmy late March early April could not last.
It was cold then and it was cold now. Although the canals were not iced over as they had been on that early January day a few years ago, the first time we found ourselves at the floating flower market was a bright blue sky with clear winter sun and just a hint of a change in the weather. It wasn't yet cold enough for gloves but ... we had been warned. Two days later the least we could expect was pouring rain. After a balmy late March early April could not last.
From cannabis plants to exotic bulbs to tulips, the now-permanent floating flower market is a gardener's delight. Although early in the season, the market was vibrant with visitors from Europe and beyond. Cafes open onto the narrow pavement with their offer of hot coffee and Dutch apple cake, a welcoming sight in the crisp spring sunshine. The bright colours of plants and the packets of bulbs give way to stands of windmills and Delft-style figurines and rows of fridge magnets of traditional Dutch houses and little scenes of canals but crowning every stall the bulbs of the graceful tulip.