Post-Schna-ulations

Michiganders

For all those who had the pleasure and/or misfortune of ever living in Michigan (particularly in the West part of the state), you may be familiar with the lovely little town of Holland. Well, that's where I went to college, and every winter as I was sliding around in the streets, on the sidewalks, everywhere I went, I cursed the tulips (salt = dead tulips : dead tulips = no tulip time : no tulip time = no monday for holland). All but one year I was fortunate enough to escape before the wooden shoe tapping and constant parades of people dressed in authentic dutch costumes rattled the windows and the nerves of all the students stuck on campus for the summer sessions. However, my last year there, not only was I able to experience the above joys of living in Holland, but I also had a job giving tours of the windmill (the last to leave the Netherlands, as they are now considered national monuments...I know a hell of a lot more about it too, if you're interested...). ANYWAY, the reason I bring this up is that I found this curious article about the Netherlands attempting to distance themselves from the "corny" image of tulips. It's funny too, because while working at the windmill, I encountered several native Hollanders (Hollandites?)(and I don't mean the Michigan kind) who said that they travel to the states for tulip time in Michigan, because it is the biggest tulip festival in the world (even bigger than anything they actually do IN the Netherlands). oh dear...
SO, if you're ever in the Holland area, anywhere near Windmill Island (yes, that's what it's called), check it out and think of me. :)

posted by Schna @ 8:21 AM