Tulip Fever Grips Holland

Stuck in swollen traffic around Keukenhof, southwest of Amsterdam, Peter Almekinders cursed what he saw as one of the few drawbacks of the Dutch tulip season: tourist buses.

"I find it really annoying," said Almekinders, 22, a resident of neighboring Voorhout and a pilot working out of the nearby Schipol International Airport.

"During [tulip season], it takes my father 20 minutes longer to get to work. It's a problem," he said.

Like Holland's renowned cheeses and wooden clogs, its tulips have earned this northern European nation an international reputation.

The landscaped flower gardens at the Keukenhof attract 700,000 tourists each year, making it the most popular attraction in the country, according to its Web site.

But what's great for tourism isn't always great for locals. And as streams of tourists pour in for views of multicolored fields, locals like Almekinders are left helpless in their traffic wake.

For most of this country's 16 million people, the horde of tourists on their petal pilgrimage are out of view.

The tulips, along with the crocuses, narcissus and hyacinths, grow in the sandy soil found only in the Bollenstreek, the "bulb area" area between Amsterdam and The Hague.

For residents of the region, however, the colorful shine of blossoming buds can quickly lose its appeal.

"It's always so crowded," said Judith Korbee, a lifelong resident of the Bollenstreek. "None of my friends have been there and we all live here. But I don't hate to see the tulips, it is just nonsense that they make such a fuss about one flower."

But many other residents, including Almekinders, still love the tulip season despite the drawbacks of tourist frenzy.

"I started to appreciate it only when I got a little bit older. I love the smell and the view. … I'm proud of it and my grandfather was a grower," Almekinders said.

Other residents point to different reasons for disliking the tulip trade. Most commonly, the Dutch bemoan the stereotypes applied to them abroad. It's not the flowers, they say, just the reputation that comes with them.