共同感受荷兰"花乡"的花香

2010年3月18日，第61届库肯霍夫国际花卉展在荷兰库肯霍夫郁金香公园开幕，超过700万株的球茎花卉在这里竞相开放,带来世界上最五彩缤纷、最馥郁芳香的视觉和嗅觉盛宴。2010年库肯霍夫郁金香公园的主题是"来自俄罗斯的爱"，俄罗斯风景和民俗风情将在公园的园艺设计上得到体现。

Spring is in the air. Flowers are coming into blossom. Tulips are perhaps the most well-known for their beauty, and Dutch tulips are considered the best of all. But do you know where you can find millions of tulip flowers?

Keukenhof in the Netherlands is the right place. Today we will travel to the world's largest flower garden - Keukenhof. Annemarie Gerards, the PR manager of the garden, is giving us some detailed information.

"Keukenhof is the spring garden of Europe, as we always say. We are unique in the world. If you come to the Netherlands in spring, you haven't seen Keukenhof, you haven't seen Holland. So it's really the symbol of our country."

Keukenhof opens in the spring season every year. The best time to view the tulips is around mid-April, depending on the weather.

"We are the only real spring garden. We just open for eight weeks. We are open from March 18th till May 16th. Everyday 8 am to 7 pm."

Keukenhof is situated near Lisse in the west of Netherlands. It covers an area of 32 hectares. According to Keukenhof Park, approximately seven million flower bulbs are planted there annually.

The garden was established in 1949 by the then-mayor of Lisse. The idea was to present a flower exhibit where growers from all over the Netherlands and Europe could show off their hybrids and aid the Dutch export industry.

On the initiative of the Lisse mayor of the time and a number of leading flower bulb growers and exporters, an open air flower exhibition was organized. This expanded into an annual event that now draws great numbers of visitors from all over the world. This is how Keukenhof became the park that we now know.

Annemarie Gerards talks more about what you can find there nowadays.

"The outside exhibition is the most important one for people to come to Keukenhof. We have also four pavilions, in these pavilions, we have different exhibitions. Three of them are always flower exhibitions. Every week we have another product on show, for example, orchids, roses, so every week in the pavilions we have another product, and in one of the pavilions we have an art exhibition."

Most travellers take a half-day tour of the park. But Annemarie Gerards says if people come with their family, they usually stay here for about four to six hours since the park is also a place for children over the age of 12.

"We have a special route for children. There are children's facilities, such as a playground, a small garden with some animals or a small farm. And children can visit our windmill. There is also the possibility for children to come with their school, and one of our guides would like to explain how they plant, because you really have to plant a bulb between September and December, then you have to wait for months, when the spring comes, you'll see the flowers."

During the park's opening you can purchase flower bulbs at Keukenhof. Five garden suppliers have a sales point there. If you order bulb-flowers in spring at Keukenhof, they will be sent to your home in autumn.

This year, Keukenhof is adopting the theme "From Russia With Love". From the main entrance to the drawbridge, you'll find yourself walking through Russian landscapes, while in the children's play area you can encounter Russian wildlife and visit a traditional dacha. And of course, you can't forget the Russian inspirational garden.

For China Drive, I am Zhang Wan.