We were so lucky that we were in time for the tulip season in Turkey. When we first caught sight of these flowers from the bus, the women in the bus got very excited. They lined the streets and roundabouts; they made the cafes and mosques more picturesque; they were everywhere and came in multi-colours. By the time we ended the tour nine days later, the tulips were wilting and making way for roses.
We always associated tulips with Holland, but the truth is tulips originated from Turkey. Bulbs were brought to Vienna from Istanbul in the 1500s and started the craze for tulips in Europe. In Holland, the interest was so intense that brought about the "Tulip Mania" when people invested in tulips like people do now in high-tech stocks.
Credit to Lin Ajis for the last 3 pictures.
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