Tulip Time

Note: I will once again be taking advantage of the two posts in a day if you can't get on the next day rule.

Today my family went to visit my sister Emily, who currently is studying at Central College in Pella, Iowa. The visit was timed so that not only would we be able to cart a few of her things back home, because she is going to finish up in a week, but we also got to enjoy the yearly festival called "Tulip Time".

Pella is a town that is primarily made up of people who are descendants of people who migrated from Holland. Thus, there is a lot of Dutch heritage in the town. The town is very quaint, with the downtown shops often having the Dutch feel, and also it isn't uncommon on see them having Dutch names (Such as the "Jaarsma Bakery"). In addition, there are two windmills, one fairly small and one of a good size that give the town a great atmosphere.

The Tulip Time festival is taken very seriously in Pella, there were literally thousands and thousands of people in the streets, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people in traditional Netherlands attire (many of the old clothes were passed down from ancestors). I noticed a small dance group in the streets, dancing in clogs (those wooden Dutch shoes).

Not to mention the flowers, the entire reason for the name of the festival. They were all around the town square, which was basically a park, not to mention that you could see plenty of tulips just around town.

There were some of the most delicious you've ever tasted there; I ate everything from donuts, to peanut butter bars, to dutch letters, to peanut butter truffles, to several other types of food that I have great difficulty spelling.

After seeing all there was to see in the downtown, we listened to my sister's steel pan concert (don't ask; it's complicated). Overall, I had a great time in Pella. It probably would of been better if I hadn't received a bad sunburn on my neck, though...