Colourful Floriade In Sterile Canberra

The main reason I had wanted to go to Canberra was to see the Floriade. Having seen the original Floriade in Holland in 1992, I wanted to see this one. Apparently this Floriade also had its origins linked to the Dutch. The Dutch Ambassador to Australia had left his post and the beautiful tulips growing in the gardens of the embassy were left behind. The Ozzies decided not to let them go to waste but instead cultivated them, and that was how the flower show began. I don't know how authentic this is, but the learned old coot with 6 degrees (mentioned in the earlier Canberra entry) had imparted this little nugget of information.

The tulips were pretty impressive, but us humans being less resilient than the flowers, were soon withering in the heat. We retreated into the shade, with a popsicle each and admired the blooms.