Tulips

After poppies, tulips. Tulips from Amsterdam, almost literally. They're actually from the Hague, kind of. The Dutch government sends a few container loads of tulip bulbs to the Canadian government every year as an extended thank you for having put their royal family in a house in Rockliffe during World War II.

Ottawa's famed tulip festival is in full swing, and we've been basking in springtime for a couple of weeks now. I'm sneezing my face off so it must be true.

The tulip festival is, well how can I say this politely? Sweet. It's cute. No, really. A few flower beds full of tulips and they ship people in from all over North America. I find it hard to understand why people get so excited about it, I've seen back gardens back home with more tulips, but hey. What I don't understand is why one of the two main venues is cordoned off for the week and you have to pay $10 per person to get in to see... what? Not tulips, that's for sure. They had a few dozen painted tulip statues, and a bunch of hot dog stalls, and OK, one or two tulips in pots plus a bed or three. People go absolutely mental for it all, though. The photographic hardware on display through the week would do a Paris catwalk proud.

Ah well, I'll stop with the snide comments and let you look at the flowers. They're nice.

Details: Nikon D70, 18-200 lens @ 200mm, f8, 1/125, VR on, ISO 200. Major Hills Park, Ottawa, 7 May 2006. Placemark.