Tulip Festival, Shilin

We were surprised when we went to Shilin Park and came across so many flowers on site. It was amazing. Our original purpose was only to visit Chiang Kai-Shek's Residence in Shilin, expecting to see an old historic house and hoping to be able to go inside to view the memorabilia and relics of a bygone era. We passed by Shilin Park and followed a narrow path, and were surprised when we saw a flower-lined road filled with excited people taking pictures. We walked the path and came to beautiful greenhouses filled with amazing orchid blooms. It was a breathtaking sight.

We followed the crowd and saw gardens filled with tulips. It was a sight filled with color and wonderful tulips – reds, yellows, violets, pinks, orange, and whites. More than 100,000 tulips, I heard, were flown in from the Netherlands and Japan to grace the Tulip Festival here in Taipei. We saw everyone had their cameras and cellphones out to record this delightful showcase of colorful tulip blooms. We saw an Instagram-worthy garden designed with a gigantic engagement ring and another garden with a huge “Marry Me” sign – so romantic, and rightfully so, because this year’s Tulip Festival theme is “Romance in Full Bloom.” Amazing!