荷蘭在地專家導覽：解鎖絕美鬱金香花季的終極指南
A local expert's guide to seeing the most beautiful tulips in the Netherlands
很少有景象能像那些宛如糖果般絢爛的鬱金香，衝破寒冬漆黑的凍土時那般令人難忘。但在荷蘭——這個全球最大的魔幻花卉出口國——尊崇鬱金香早已是一種深入骨髓的生活方式。在從凜冽冬日步入春天的這幾週，一排排的花朵在大地的畫布上點綴出斑斕的色彩線條，最著名的莫過於哈倫（Haarlem）與萊頓（Leiden）之間、向著北海延伸的「球莖區」（Bollenstreek）。而伴隨鬱金香一同到來的，便是無數渴望親睹花海盛況的遊客。
Few images are as indelible as the sight of candy-coloured tulips bursting through the dark winter ground. But in the Netherlands – the world's largest exporter of the magical bloom – venerating tulips is a way of life. In the weeks leading from icy winter to spring, rows of flowers stud the country's landscape in technicolour streaks, most famously in the Bollenstreek "Bulb Region", stretching between the towns of Haarlem and Leiden, arching towards the North Sea. And with tulips come tourists; eager to experience the blooms for themselves.
我們專訪了荷蘭知名鬱金香攝影部落格【Tulips in Holland】的幕後鏡頭操刀手——Nienke Panis-Ringersma，為大家發掘全荷蘭最頂級的鬱金香觀賞體驗。「荷蘭人個性非常務實。」潘妮絲-林格斯瑪說道，她的攝影作品與鬱金香知識每月在社群平台上能獲得數萬個讚，「荷蘭人對花田早就司空見慣了。通常只有當你發現公路上擠滿了那些根本不太會騎腳踏車的遊客時，你就知道花季來臨了。」
We spoke to Nienke Panis-Ringersma, the lens behind the popular Dutch-based tulip photography blog, Tulips in Holland, to find the best tulip bloom experiences in the Netherlands. "People in the Netherlands are very down to earth," says Panis-Ringersma, whose images and tulip facts receive thousands of likes per month on social media. "They are quite used to the flower fields. You know when it's tourist season, because the roads are clogged with people on a bike who are not used to riding bikes."
儘管如此，潘妮絲-林格斯瑪深愛著她國家的這款指標性球莖花卉，甚至深愛到將其視為畢生志業。「我想這是一種熱情的渲染。」她說，「這股悸動從十二月便在花店能買到鬱金香時揭開序幕。緊接著一月的第三個週末，我們會慶祝『國家鬱金香日』。大約有 30 萬株鬱金香會被鋪設在阿姆斯特丹的博物館廣場上，以荷蘭國家博物館或梵谷博物館為壯麗背景。這是春季無數鬱金香慶典的開端。那是一幅充滿魔法的畫面，我熱愛它的花形、它的芬芳。每一株鬱金香都是獨一無二的，背後都蘊藏著精彩動人的故事。」
Nonetheless, Panis-Ringersma adores her nation's iconic bulb flower – enough to have made it her career. "I think it's the excitement," she says. "It starts around December when we can buy tulips in the florist shops. And around the third weekend of January, we celebrate National Tulip Day. Around 300,000 tulips are placed on the museum square in Amsterdam with a beautiful backdrop of the Rijksmuseum or the Van Gogh Museum. It's the start of many tulip festivals leading up to the start of spring. It's a magical place and I love the flower, the fragrance. Every tulip is unique. There is a great story to tell."
💐 專家心目中的第一首選：庫肯霍夫花園 (Keukenhof)💐 The Number One Place: Visit Keukenhof
「如果你問我絕對排行第一的地點？那就去庫肯霍夫（Keukenhof）吧，」潘妮絲-林格斯瑪表示。這座建於 1949 年的花園，無疑是荷蘭最受歡迎的鬱金香聖地。憑藉著精心設計、宛如藝術畫布般的鬱金香花園與傳統風車，在為期僅八週的營運季中，每年都能吸引超過百萬名遊客前來朝聖。
"So, you ask for absolutely number one place? Visit Keukenhof," says Panis-Ringersma. Established in 1949, Keukenhof Gardens is undoubtedly the most popular tulip experience in the Netherlands; its lushly landscaped "inspirational" tulip gardens and windmills drawing over a million visitors each year during its eight-week season.
「每年都有大約 700 萬顆球莖，全是由工人純手工、而非機器一顆顆親自栽種下去的，」潘妮絲-林格斯瑪補充，她對鬱金香的愛萌芽自兒時探訪庫肯霍夫花園的記憶，因為她的祖父當時曾在園區擔任票務志工。「它是世界上最美麗的春季花園。」
"Around 7 million bulbs are planted by hands, not by machine, every year," says Panis-Ringersma, whose budding love for tulips was ignited by childhood visits to Keukenhof, where her grandfather volunteered as a ticket taker. "It's the most beautiful spring garden in the world."
遊客在庫肯霍夫能享受豐富的行程，包括野餐、室內花卉展，以及搭乘具解說性的「低噪音電動船（Whisper Boat）」悠然穿梭於水道間。但請務必提前規劃：庫肯霍夫每年僅開放約兩個月。潘妮絲-林格斯瑪給出了價值百萬的實用建議：「每年的最佳賞花時機都不盡相同……依照目前這暖冬氣候，我預估今年的最佳參訪時點大約落在四月中旬左右。」
Visitors enjoy a wide variety of experiences at Keukenhof including picnics, flower exhibitions and didactic "whisper boat" cruises through the gardens. But plan ahead; Keukenhof is open for just two months. "The best time to go is the $1m question," says Panis-Ringersma. "It's different every year… right now we have an extremely warm winter. I think the best time to visit for this year is around the middle of April."
🎉 狂歡慶典首選：花車大遊行 (Bloemencorso)🎉 Best for Festivities: Catch a Flower Parade
若想真正沉浸於花季慶典的歡騰氛圍中，絕不能錯過聞名遐邇的 Bloemencorso 花車大遊行。這項遊行每年固定於四月的第三個星期六登場，路線從諾德韋克（Noordwijk）開往哈倫（Haarlem），沿途會橫越整個球莖區並途經庫肯霍夫外圍。
To truly get swept up in the excitement of tulip season, be sure to catch the Bloemencorso Flower Parade. The Bloemencorso parade takes place each year on the third Saturday of April, marching along the road from Noordwijk to Haarlem, through the Bollenstreek and past Keukenhof.
潘妮絲-林格斯瑪透露了一項在地行家的私房撇步：「許多人都擠在庫肯霍夫附近搶看花車，但那裡人潮多到非常恐怖。我的建議是清晨先去諾德韋克（Noordwijk），那是一座靠海且風景優美的絕美臨海小鎮。」那裡亦有極少遊客知曉的週五晚間「夜光遊行」，彩車亮燈後的夜景如夢似幻。
Panis-Ringersma's tip: watch from Noordwijk. "Lots of people try to see the parade around Keukenhof because it passes the gardens," she says. "But that's an extremely busy spot. Go to Noordwijk early in the morning. It's a beautiful seaside town." There is also a hidden Friday evening Night Parade when floats are illuminated, creating a magical atmosphere.
🚜 互動體驗首選：拜訪在地鬱金香農場🚜 Best Interactive Experience: Visiting a Tulip Farm
為了保護商業花田免受遊客鞋履夾帶的細菌侵害（尤其是敏感的風信子），荷蘭嚴禁隨意踏入一般經濟花田。潘妮絲-林格斯瑪強烈建議渴望走進花田中央拍照的人前往合規開放的農場。「既然每個人都渴望置身花海，那就請去那些歡迎你的特約農場！」
In the Netherlands, walking through ordinary commercial fields can damage crops and is prohibited. For those who want photos amidst the blooms, Panis-Ringersma says "Because everybody really wants to go into the fields, which is not allowed, so, please go to a tulip farm where it is allowed!"
她首推的口袋名單是位於諾德韋克豪特（Noordwijkerhout）家族經營的「Tulip Experience Amsterdam」，園內坐擁近百萬株、多達 700 種不同品種的鬱金香。這裡不僅能走入田間，更設置了大型鬱金香市集，售賣各類極具巧思的特產，包括鬱金香啤酒、鬱金香伏特加，甚至有著鬱金香芬芳的手工皂。
Her top recommendation is the family-run Tulip Experience in Noordwijkerhout, home to nearly 1 million tulips with over 700 different types. Visitors can step onto the fields and browse a massive tulip market with quirky specialty items like tulip beer, tulip vodka, or soaps smelling of tulips.
🌷 知識控首選：Hortus Bulborum 歷史種球園🌷 Best for Aficionados: Hortus Bulborum
對於像潘妮絲-林格斯瑪這樣沉醉於花卉園藝學的人來說，位於林門（Limmen）的 Hortus Bulborum 歷史花卉種球園，是一座極具神聖色彩的學習殿堂。「它就像是一座活的博物館。」她說，「人們常誤以為鬱金香是荷蘭原生種，但其實它的老家是在喜馬拉雅山脈。後來在 15 世紀傳到土耳其，直到 16 世紀末才輾轉引進荷蘭。」
For Panis-Ringersma, the Hortus Bulborum historical bulb garden in Limmen is a sacred institute of learning. "It's like a living museum," she says. "An interesting fact about tulips, it's not native to the Netherlands but people think it is." Tulips are native to the Himalayas, flourished in Turkey in the 1400s, and came to the Netherlands at the end of the 16th Century.
這座園林收藏並保存了超過 4,500 種歷史悠久的珍稀春季球莖植物。這裡的鎮園之寶甚至包含能追溯至 1557 年的稀有川貝母標本，以及極其古老的 16 世紀杜克范托爾紅黃雙色鬱金香。「這裡規模雖小，但氣氛迷人，而且他們的蘋果派超級好吃！我絕對推薦大家來這裡喝杯咖啡、配上一塊經典的荷式蘋果派，在寧靜氛圍中細細品味這些傳世古董級名花。」
The Hortus Bulborum houses more than 4,500 varieties of historical spring bulbous plants, from 1557 specimens to ancient 16th-Century varieties. "So, you can visit and it's a very small garden," says Panis-Ringersma. "They have great apple pie! So absolutely visit and drink some coffee with apple pie over there and have a look at all the different kinds of flowers."