The most fun you can have near Amsterdam at 5 am.

I figured it was about time that I post a couple of photos from my trip to Amsterdam a few weeks ago. During the 2009 Philadelphia Flower show, I had the opportunity to meet Tony Cummins from Tuning Floral Export based at the Aalsmeer flower auction in Holland. He kindly picked me up at 5 in the morning in Amsterdam, and drove me out to tour the auction first hand.

Aalsmeer is the largest flower auction in the world, and where we obtain almost all of our premium product. I had the opportunity to visit the Aalsmeer auction while still a student, but I have always wanted to get a behind the scenes tour. My wish came true!

I was right on the floor of the auction, nearly getting hit by the long trains of flowers. The photos don't begin to show the vast size of the auction, and my camera was in failing health, so the pictures aren't the best. You get the idea. The coolest part was seeing the exact flowers in Holland that we used for a wedding just a few days later. We took different planes, but both met up again in Philadelphia. If only I could justify hand picking all of our flowers in Holland!

Holland is the center of the cut flower world, and Amsterdam is by far my favorite city to visit.














It's always nice to combine business and pleasure. I try to visit at least twice a year to keep abreast of the latest European trends. Armas, Judith, and myself will be heading back in mid-October for the Hortifair, an international flower and trade show. Anybody want to come along?