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California's Carlsbad Flower Fields Welcome Visitors with Full Blooms

Visitors pose and take pictures among the 50 acres of Ranunculus flowers at "The Flower Fields" in Carlsbad, California, US, March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Visitors pose and take pictures among the 50 acres of Ranunculus flowers at "The Flower Fields" in Carlsbad, California, US, March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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California's Carlsbad Flower Fields Welcome Visitors with Full Blooms

Visitors pose and take pictures among the 50 acres of Ranunculus flowers at "The Flower Fields" in Carlsbad, California, US, March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake
Visitors pose and take pictures among the 50 acres of Ranunculus flowers at "The Flower Fields" in Carlsbad, California, US, March 31, 2021. Picture taken March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake

People took pictures amid waist-high blossoms in every imaginable hue of orange, pink, yellow and purple at California’s famous Flower Fields in Carlsbad as it opened to the public.

The attraction was closed for most of 2020, due to pandemic-related restrictions, but plummeting coronavirus cases and California’s move to the orange tier of lockdown restrictions means the fields can once again welcome a limited number of visitors.

“I am so happy we’re open again,” said general manager Fred Clarke, Reuters reported.

“Last year we were nine months in and we had to mow the crop down.”

The fields, 34 miles (55 km) north of San Diego, showcase more than 70 million flowers, creating an annual spectacle when they bloom.

“It does feel like things are easing a little bit. It’s just great to see the beauty and just get out and enjoy a day with my wife,” said Artie Creighton, 53, from Corona, California.

“This is one of the first times that we’ve been out in a long time.”

The Flower Fields, which are open to the public until May 9, are also a working farm that sells flowers, which end up at florists and supermarkets, Clarke said, explaining how they breed their own variety of ranunculus.

“We’re hybridizing ranunculus and every year trying to improve the quality, the size of the flower, the brightness of the color, the uniformity of the crop,” he added.

“So every year we believe it’s getting better and better.”

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Milan’s Historic La Scala Cracks Down on Tourist Dress Code

Milan’s La Scala opera house is an important Italian music institution dating back to the 16th century (Getty Images)
Milan’s La Scala opera house is an important Italian music institution dating back to the 16th century (Getty Images)
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Milan’s Historic La Scala Cracks Down on Tourist Dress Code

Milan’s La Scala opera house is an important Italian music institution dating back to the 16th century (Getty Images)
Milan’s La Scala opera house is an important Italian music institution dating back to the 16th century (Getty Images)

A historic opera house in Milan has cracked down on patrons and tourists entering the prestigious venue wearing summer attire such as shorts, tank tops and flip flops, warning they will be turned away if not dressed appropriately.

The opera was seen as a symbol of wealth and exclusivity in 19th-century high society, and the bourgeois elite of this time period would have been expected to turn up in tailcoats, cravats and long evening dresses, The Independent newspaper wrote on Monday.

While this opulent attire is not expected of patrons nowadays, it said Milan’s Teatro alla Scala opera house, commonly known as La Scala, has recently reinforced its smart dress code in the wake of opera-goers turning up in casual summer fashion.

“The public is kindly requested to dress in keeping with the decorum of the theater, out of respect for the theater and for other viewers,” La Scala’s policy said.

“People wearing shorts or sleeveless T-shirts will not be allowed inside the auditorium; in this case, tickets will not be reimbursed.”

The venue also has signs around the foyer and on tickets stating the same message, warning patrons that they will not get a refund if they turn up wearing clothes not in keeping with the “decorum.”

The rules over informal clothing were first introduced in 2015 when the summer season coincided with the World Expo in Milan, as a way to deter the influx of tourists turning up in summer wear.

“There are no special dress code requirements at La Scala,” a spokesperson at the theater told The Independent. “We are delighted that some of our audience members consider an evening at La Scala to be a special occasion and dress accordingly, but our priority is to welcome everyone and make sure they feel comfortable.

“This is precisely why, in 2015, we introduced restrictions on clothing that could cause discomfort to other audience members who have to share the often limited space of an 18th-century theater.

“With the return of summer (an especially hot one), we reminded the audience of these rules, which have remained unchanged for ten years.

“It would not be right to tell spectators how to dress, but it is necessary that they do dress, as not to cause discomfort to other people,” the spokesperson added.

La Scala’s spokesman added that there had been a “change in behavior led by visitors who do not follow opera but see La Scala as a landmark.”