The camp is full of excitement this morning, everyone is here for the annual flower parade. Vans, cyclists and scooters all set off through the morning to their chosen viewpoints.
Our taxi arrives at 12:30 but it’s a Vito minivan with high seats and Nick is dubious about being able to get in. Evelyn comes out of the office, says ‘You will go to the parade’. She has experience with disabled people, shows us a new lifting technique and we’re in.
Originally we were going to Lisse but the driver looks at queues on the adjacent road and takes us to Hellegom instead.
Last evening Ali made quiche so we find a bench and have our picnic. Then we discover a slight downside to our revised location, the parade comes by at 16:40 instead of the 14:30 Lisse section.
No matter, we sit on a good bench right behind the barrier and assured of a good view. A marching band that was playing in the main square walks past and Nick W calls for a tune. They stop turn towards us and play for about 20 minutes, with the lead drummer clowning around.
Eventually the crowd increases, walk-through points are closed and the parade begins with scouts and cubs selling packets of waffles for €2.00, coins in the bag please, but scouts today are hi-tec and some are brandishing card-payment machines.
The first vehicles are commercial advertisers; tractors, panel vans or cars laden with flowers. Then comes the first ‘praalwagen’ or carnival float; Thailand has a flowery elephant, temple and garden wih a few pretty Thai people aboard. Among the 64 exhibits, 19 are full floats about 60 feel long and so wide the flowers are brushing the barrier and 12 or 15 feet tall. The smells are sweet and heady from a vast variety of flowers and bulb, ranging from deep purples to bright yellows. Themes include art galleries, space exploration, oriental nations, moviemakers and theatre. Amongs the others are a Fiat 500 barely visible under its red bouquet of orchids and pointsetta and a dustcart laden with purple lillies.
The parade ends and we make our way out of the main street to where traffic is flowing then call the taxi. There is confusion over where we are so Nick W knocks on the nearest door and gets the address. Ali’s phone battery is dropping fast but eventually we chat to the driver and agree to meet at a petrol station we can all see.
Again it’s a Vito despite us asking for a saloon, but the ‘‘Evelyn ‘eave ho’’ works and we’re off into the traffic.
The driver suggest a detour to avoid the traffic, longer but quicker. The route takes us right among the bulb fields, acres of bright colour in stripes absolutely mesmerising in scale. Every way we look is colour. A fantastic sight, and what everyone dreams Holland is about.
Just after 8:00 we arrive at the campsite. The meter price is €69 but the driver asks what we paid this morning and charges us the same €48 bulb tour included!
The mobile shop is here so the girls rush over and get pizzas and oven chips for a quick if late supper.
What a day.