It is already May! The month of April seemed to have passed us by without the crowds for the Tulip Route, no lunches and/or excursions, no meetings and no guests in our Bed & Breakfast. With following the guidelines and regulations of the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), such as the 1.5 metre regulation, guests are welcome again at De Kandelaar.

Despite the lack of crowds there has been plenty of activity on the farm. The potatoes are planted, corn and sugar beets have been sown. Unfortunately, it currently is very dry and despite the few showers over the past few days, the reel will start up again. The crops now really need moisture to grow.  And yes, we are delighted with the birth of goats, lambs and kitties.  In short, plenty of spring life!

Because of the quietness, we were able to enjoy the beautiful tulip fields and the beautiful weather more intensely. The tulip heart has blossomed beautifully and we are sure it will be back next year. In April 2021 we hope to let everyone enjoy the beauty of the tulips again. For now, stay healthy and look after each other. We hope to meet again soon. Check out the video on the Bed & Breakfast.

At the end of the year we look back to the past year. 2019 has been an eventful year for the agricultural sector in The Netherlands. Yes, we have also visited The Hague with our tractor.  These protests are desperately needed because current political decisions are often made on the basis of emotions instead of actually looking at the figures and listening to experts. We hope 2020 will bring more wisdom concerning the agricultural sector and not only to the politicians in The Hague but also the Dutch and the press.  We try and do our bit by providing our guests at the De Kandelaar with correct and honest information.

We will do during Tulpenroute Flevoland 2020. The opening is planned for Friday 10^th April 2020 (Good Friday).  De Kandelaar will then be open daily until 5^th May. We would like to take this opportunity to showcase our company; explain the tulip cultivation, but above else let everybody enjoy the beauty of the tulips. In the context of this year’s theme, “75 years of freedom”, we have planted a mosaic of tulips in the shape of the freedom symbol.  However, we have also planted a beautiful heart of tulips and of course the Dutch flag.

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A special carnival in 2020. Marc and Mariska have been asked by Prince Pieter II and Princess Yvonne in ‘t Bokkenriek in St. Hubert (south of The Netherlands) to join their court; Marc as adjutant, Mariska as the court lady.  Regularly they are all on the road with the St. Hubert carnival club De Bokken.

Preparations for the 2019 Tulip route Flevoland are being finalized. The opening will take place at Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar on Saturday 13 April. From 10:00am everybody is welcome and the official opening will be performed by representatives of the municipality of Dronten, Lelystad and Zeewolde at around 10:30am.

At the opening there will also be the Tulip Market where you can gain information on the cultivation of tulips or this year’s tulip routes (walk, bike or car) or the Floriade. As part of the Golden Age theme Batavialand will show and promote the foundation’s preservation and commercial operation of the heritage park that represents, describes and exhibits the history and characteristics of the Netherlands, living on the boundary between land and water, with old crafts. Or you can take a selfie with the Golden tractor of Team Agro, Polderzoom will showcase and sell their cheeses from the region, IJsbrouwers will cater with their homemade icecream and Vaya Con Dios perform their music. In addition, there are appealing and alluring tulip gadgets available, from tulip umbrellas to tulip shopping bags and tea made from tulips. The Tulip Market is open until 5:00pm.

From 13 April to 5 May 2019, Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar is open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm.Whilst you are enjoying a cup of coffee, tea or a soft drink with a piece of home-made cake on our covered terrace, you can get more information about the tulip cultivation. There will also be a number of stalls selling tulip items. Also every day fresh tulips will be available directly from the tulip farmers. On 22 April, Easter Monday, there will be another large Tulip Market with even more tulip art and the male choir „Flevo’s mannenkoor“ will perform between 1:00 and 3:00pm. Bed & Breakfast De Kandelaar is located on the car route of Lelystad. More information about all routes can be found at www.tulpenrouteflevoland.nl

Due to the changing, sometimes extremely hot weather, the flowering time of the tulips was short this year and the tulip routes have now finished. Yet many people from home and abroad, even as far as from India and Thailand, have visited us. They took a look at the tulip fields, watched the film about tulip cultivation and educated themselves about 100 years of Zuiderzee law.

On the land a lot has been done, such as the corn, sugar beet and onions are sown. The potatoes have been planted and the ‘backs’ have been milled. The first cut of grass has been mowed and the grassland is manured, so hopefully we can cut the second cut of grass in 4 weeks.

Meanwhile, we continue to receive guests at our Bed & Breakfast. Either for a visit to one of the entertainment parks in the area such as Walibi, Dolfinarium (Sea World) or Aviodrome or to go shopping in Batavia Stad.  We also have guest stay, who work or train in the close vicinity of our B&B.

Finally, on 26 April, we organised a surprise party for Jos & Maria (the original owners of De Kandelaar) to celebrate 50 years of marriage. With family and many friends we had turned it into a beautiful party, which we all enjoyed leaving us with fond memories.

And here is another year and right now with lovely crisp winter weather. It is very important for the land that we get a good frost so the land can be better processed in spring. The frost contributes to reducing nuisance pests that usually pop up in spring. Plus of course, being Dutch, we fully enjoy the wintry pictures and the skating!

In the stables we are currently testing a JOZ feed slide.  In collaboration with JOZ we are looking at the digestion of food in the cows. It’s also very nice to see that their feed always lies neatly within the range of the cows. Currently the general farm work consists mostly of maintenance to the many machines and the occasional repair to the stables.

In addition, it is now time for attending meetings and seminars. Marc and Joris have attended a course to gain their spraying license and Natasha and Mariska have followed their compulsary refresher BHV-course.

We are in full preparation with the upcoming tourist season, in particular the Tulip Routes.  On Saturday 15th April, the opening of the Tulip Routes takes place at De Kandelaar. On this day, there are several companies present from the area to showcase their products and activities at a local market. Depending on the weather and the bulbs we should be able to admire the many blooming tulip fields in our area. It is expected that the fields will be in bloom until mid-May.