A souvenir? Yes, it had to be tulips from Amsterdam

WHEN it’s Spring again I’ll sing again... but it’ll be the Autumn when I plant my tulips from Amsterdam. I’ve high hopes for the Blue Diamond bulbs I picked up from the Tulip Museum in Amsterdam that they will burst into a brilliant violet colour come Spring.

Why then are they called blue? They’re aspirational, much like tulip growers, blue occurring more sparsely in nature than any other hue.

I’m just back from a whistlestop trip to Amsterdam, my first visit there for 28 years and my first sight of the Dutch city in the summer, my previous break being in midwinter.

I’m reliably informed that their summers are not normally like this one, with Amsterdamers basking in the same heatwave we had, although they get to meander down a myriad of canals.

We saw them from our plush suite in the Dylan Hotel, a far cry from the basic billet we stayed in when we visited as a tyro journo and photo journalist in our 20s.

The Dylan Amsterdam is located in a historic 17th-century site in the Keizersgracht and bills itself as a boutique hotel. But that’s like calling Van Gogh’s Sunflowers a mere bunch of flowers.

It’s aspirational, yes, with rooms (all 40 are individually designed) starting from £261 (€293) per room per night based on two sharing a double room including tax. And yes it is a favourite haunt of sweethearts and hosts wedding receptions.

For further information email reservations@dylanamsterdam.com or call +31 20 530 2010 to book.

All major airlines fly to the Netherlands, but flying the Dutch flag and posting the obligatory emoji, we flew KLM which was a seamless hour and a bit, broken up by a roll snack and choice of beer, wine, soft drink or tea or coffee. Visit www. klm.com. I found return flights Dublin to Amsterdam from €97.