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Flowery Destinations: "
It doesn't take Van Goghian imagination
to appreciate the beauty of a sunflower. Although they're hardly ever
destinations in themselves, the fields of soothing lavender, rows of
mind-stirring tulips and meadows sprinkled with wild daisies are
ready to put on a brilliant show for your color-thirsty eyes. Just
turn on your romantic radar, get off the beaten path and go search
for the flower power. Here's a handful of ideas to get you started:
Provence, France
The sight of the endless
ribbons of lavender itself attracts thousands of visitors to Provence
every year. The fragrant fields stretch across the hills and
valleys, with nodding heads of golden sunflowers and swathes of
fiercely red poppies sometimes breaking into the purple infinity.
But
then the charm of Provence is not its flowers alone. Little historic
towns, picturesque villages, old distilleries and ancient sites are
as much a part of the landscape in this part of France as the incredible flora. Just set off
on route through the Upper Vaucluse, Ventoux or Luberon and enjoy an
almost spiritual journey full of invigorating scents, colors, history
and culinary delights.
The Netherlands
Bounce
Holland off of people and the second association you get is tulips
(right after Amsterdam and its Red Light District). It's just
impossible to travel through
the country in
springtime without beholding what could quite possibly be one of the
most impressive floral performances in the world, with tulips and
daffodils in the leading roles.
As the world's leading
cultivator and exporter of
tulips, the Netherlands does its best to keep up the reputation with
perfectly manicured fields, incredible variety of colors and fabulous
flower parades held throughout the country between April and
September. The most impressive collections of flowers are to be seen
just outside Alkmaar (North Holland), famous for its cheese market
and brimming with history, as well as in Keukenhof (near Lisse in South Holland), also known as the world's largest flower garden.
Japan
Between March and May every year, Japan dons her
coat of light pink and for a brief moment, the cherry blossom invades
even the gloomiest parts of urban concrete jungles. Tokyo, Osaka,
Kyoto or Nagasaki – they're all transformed into exquisite floral
displays of delicate beauty, and the normally fabulous Japanese
countryside becomes even more appealing. Travel to Japan in cherry
season to discover the delight of 'Hanami', the age-old
practice of picnicking under a blooming sakura, take
a walk through clouds of blossoms, and
learn about the flowers'
fascinating symbolism of love, spring, good fortune … and dying.
Denmark
The
landscape of Denmark is mainly agricultural, with lush forests, vast
pastures and multicolored meadows hugging a beautiful coastline of
white sandy beaches and marshes. The
abundant wildflowers paint the landscape with a full palette of
colors, producing a vibrant background for castles, Viking stories
and invigorating bike tours across the countryside. The spring sees
the explosion of hues and varieties as the extensive meadows cover
with red clovers (national floral emblem), poppies, forget-me-nots
and marguerite daisies. Several
species of wild orchids adorn the area called Gentofte Municipality
north of Copenhagen.
Namaqualand, Northern Cape, South Africa
The
ability to see a heaven in a wild flower is a grand sign of
innocence. So said William Blake, a romantic English poet and
painter. Here, in Namaqualand, it's far easier than he would have
thought. During the early spring, in the narrow window between July
and September, this totally arid region of the North Cape Province, South Africa,
miraculously turns into a blooming desert of wildflowers, with
trillions of white and orange daisies springing up from previously
barren land. Once there, head to the Skilpad Wild
Flower Reserve to see what is undoubtedly one of the most striking
floral phenomena in the world.
British Columbia, Canada
Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, Canada, is otherwise known as “The City of Gardens”, and it
truly deserves its nickname. With mild climate and plentiful
sunshine, gardening must be a lifetime passion, and indeed, there are
numerous spectacular floral displays here that cater for the
color-loving botanists, including the amazing Butchart Gardens,
Hatley
Park National Historic Site and Abkhazi
Garden.
With its flowery reputation, Victoria
sets the benchmark real high, but the rest of the province does
measure up. Tiger lilies, wild roses, dandelions and lupins brighten
your walks along the countryside with a flamboyant palette of color
and invigorate your senses with a rich bouquet of scents.
South Island, New Zealand
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy has
done a great job in showing the world just how unbelievable New
Zealand really is. But what you probably remember best is dramatic
open spaces, craggy peaks and gloomy voids rather than alpine flora
and fertile valleys.
In fact, New Zealand is a natural
garden, with the finest displays of flowers to be found on the South
Island. Here, the multicolored summer meadows carpet your hikes in
the high mountains and blooming lupins turn the shores of Lake Tekapo
into a purple theater under the open sky.
Drop us a hint if you know of other flowery destinations ... be it a daisy-clad alpine valley, a field of tulips or your personal patch of roses in the backyard.
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