10 May 2015

Suitcase. Keukenhof Spring Tulip Gardens, Netherlands

WARNING: if you’re not a fan of flowers then this post isn’t for you. Prepare for many MANY photos of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, lilies; the list goes on…




Last weekend I found myself at the second largest flower garden in the world. Keukenhof; just outside Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  This spectacular spring garden is open just 8 weeks of the year and is home to 7 million hand-planted flowers. To say I was in awe of the beauty would be a huge understatement.


There were giant tulips


pointy tulips


multi-coloured tulips


endless daffodils


and a funny upside down flower that I’d never seen before.


I’ve always found a bouquet of flowers to have the power to brighten up any day, so you can imagine how joyous I was feeling surrounded by all these beauties. Walking around the garden, the rows of blooms were endless. Some colour-blocked, others mixed together, all beautiful.




Honestly it was like stepping into one of Shirley Barber’s fairy books – magical colours everywhere, and I’m sure there were plenty of fairies too. Look there's one! Oh wait, that's me.





After wandering the entire grounds, past the streams, over the bridges and by the windmill, it was time to set off for Amsterdam. Read more about my adventures in “The Venice Of The North” next week.




Note:
To reach Keukenhof you can take the 858 bus from Schiphol Airport. A return bus journey and entrance ticket (Combi Ticket) is approximately €23. Be warned that around holidays or on long weekends the wait time to board the bus can be well over an hour. The journey is then 30-60mins depending on traffic. The gardens are open each year from mid March to mid May. This is definitely one for the bucket list – I would encourage everyone to make it here at least once in their lifetime.

Photos by Krissie.