Netherlands/Belgium
Tulipmania
Program No. 10137RJ
From the floor of the world’s largest flower auction to prized botanical gardens to the works of the Golden Age masters, discover the history of the iconic tulip.
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13 days
12 nights
24 meals
11B 7L 6D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
3
Haarlem, Teylers Museum
Haarlem
5
De Keukenhof Gardens
Haarlem
11
Zeeland Delta Works
Ghent
12
Bruges, Free Time
Ghent
13
Program Concludes
Ghent
At a Glance
In the early 17th century, amateur speculators in North Holland sold their farms and possessions to bet big on the hottest new commodity on the market: tulips. First imported from Turkey in the mid-1600s, the bloom became a status symbol and extraordinarily expensive luxury during the Dutch Golden Age. At the height of tulip mania, 12 acres of land were reportedly offered for a single Semper Augustus bulb. Learn the story of the tulip craze, go inside today’s evolved tulip industry and discover the flower’s lofty place in Dutch culture.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two hours / two miles at a time, sometimes twice per day; cobblestones and many unavoidable stairs. Public transportation used throughout the program.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Watch as more than 20 million flowers are bought and sold in a daily flurry of activity on the floor of the world’s largest flower auction.
- Learn about the art and the business of growing tulip bulbs from a tulip farmer at his farm.
- Delve into Vermeer, Frans Hals and other masters of the Dutch Golden Age as highlighted by art experts at museums in Amsterdam.
Suggested Reading List
(19 books)
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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Tulipmania
Program Number: 10137
Good Beer Guide Belgium
The seventh edition of Webb's invaluable guide to breweries, beers and bars.
The Netherlands in a Nutshell
With information on the Dutch East India Company, Huygens, Spinoza, Van Gogh, the Great Flood, the Dutch overseas colonies and much more, Van Oostrom's popular primer covers the essential highlights of Dutch history.
Amsterdam, A Traveler's Literary Companion
Organized by district, these 17 contemporary short stories by modern Dutch writers, including Cees Nooteboom and Geert Mak, are set amid the canals, cafes and neighborhoods of Amsterdam.
Fodor's Amsterdam with the Best of the Netherlands
The up-to-date Fodor's guide features invaluable recommendations on where to stay and eat and what to do throughout the Netherlands. Compact and portable, it's ideal for either a weekend trip or an extended visit.
The Botany of Desire
Four marvelous essays on four plants, all with the common theme of how well each has manipulated humans for its benefit. The plants are: the apple, the tulip, the potato, and marijuana. Pollan's writing is beautiful, and the apple essay alone -- you'll never think of Johnny Appleseed in the same way! -- is as satisfying an essay as we've read in a long time.
Niccolo Rising
From the reigning queen of historical fiction comes this fast-paced, thoroughly-researched novel of ambition and worldly goods in 15th-century Bruges. This is the first volume in her House of Niccolo series.
Why the Dutch are Different
Mingling history with travelogue, Coates speaks to why the Netherlands is such fascinating country. He explains the significance of milk, beer and the color orange in the lives of the Dutch, their world-famous culture of tolerance and much more.
The Embarrassment of Riches
An engaging cultural history and much more, this book is a study of the Dutch in the 17th century and their surprising challenge to Spanish rule.
The Diary of a Young Girl, The Definitive Edition
The classic story of an adolescent Jewish girl's life and thoughts while in hiding with her family in Nazi-occupied Holland. A new edition with added material.
A Worldly Art
This appreciative analysis of Dutch art in its Golden Age (1585-1718) features 100 exemplary illustrations by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch, Frans Hals and other Old Masters.
The Undutchables
A laugh-out-loud, irreverent guide to Dutch character and habits, including how to drink coffee and why you shouldn't even think about haggling over prices.
Tulipomania
The story of the world's most coveted flower and the extraordinary passion it aroused, this vivid history traces the tulip from its origins on the Turkish steppes to its status as an absurdly desired object in Europe and its key role in the financial follies of 17th-century Holland.
Amsterdam, A History of the World's Most Liberal City
Russell Shorto opens this delightful ode to an adopted city with his daily journey, by bike of course, through his neighborhood to drop off his toddler son. He spins a tale of a diverse city wrestled from the sea, its coffee shops, canals and its personalities and politics, with panache.
Benelux Map
Covering the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg at a scale of 1:400,000.
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer
A British journalist, Winner interviews football stars -- along with architects, political scientists and novelists -- in this insightful, humorous look at the transformation of Dutch society since the 1970s.
Eyewitness Guide Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp
This superbly illustrated guide features color photos and maps of city neighborhoods, with information on history, culture and sightseeing.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
This finely-crafted novel tells the story of the girl in an imagined, undiscovered portrait by Vermeer. Created in the 17th century, the painting passes through a number of people's hands, providing a series of tales that reflect the history and character of Holland and Europe through the years.
Tulip Fever
In this surprise bestseller, set in 1630s Amsterdam, a man contracts the talented painter Jan Van Loos to paint a portrait of him and his beautiful wife, Sophia. A vivid drama unfolds as a mutual attraction develops between Van Loos and Sophia.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Chevalier's richly drawn novel imagines the story behind Vermeer's mysterious portrait of a turbaned girl with a pearl earring.
