Flowers of the Keukenhof Gardens
A spring in the Netherlands wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Keukenhof. Keukenhof literally translates to Kitchen Gardens, because this used to be a vegetable/herb garden that was picked by the kitchen staff before cooking. However, now this place is known as the largest flower garden in the world. Think of a park the size of Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion, or Six Flags - but replace the rides with flowers. This place was huge.
The line backed all the way up into Leiden Centraal
We ended up going around late April which is apparently the best time to go because the park was very crowded. After taking the train to Leiden we stood in line for almost 2 hours waiting for the bus to take us to the park. Admission was cheap - only a bit over 10 euros, and we ended up spending a good 4 hours in there. They also did a tribute to the United States, in particular New York (formerly known as New Amsterdam), which was pretty cool.
Yankees Tribute - this is made of 100% flowers
There was a special exhibit indoors for orchids and other temperate flowers
My favorite part of the park was getting to the edge of the park and peering out into the actual tulip fields used for growing. It was incredible viewing the rows and rows of brightly colored tulips that stretched as far as the eyes could see. We even saw a few of the farmers out there checking on their tulips.
Farmers checking on their tulip crops - they need some goats
Netherlands, Spring, Uncategorized
Had my first session of Dutch surfing on Sunday. It was great to be able to check the surf cam, then hop on my bike and be at the beach 15 minutes later. The surf forecast was pretty good and the camera was reporting similar conditions - they were both pretty spot on. Ended up getting stomach high waves, with the occasional chest high set. The waves lacked the typical power you’d see on the East Coast, as many of them petered out after the initial drop in. However, a few waves held throughout and provided some long rides.
I had similar conditions: crumbly waves, and probably a bit smaller
Since I don’t have a surfboard over here (yet), I ended up renting a 9′6″ NSP from the beachside surf shop. I put on my 5/4 wetsuit, 5mm gloves, and 5mm boots, decided to hold off on the hood, then headed out. I actually wasn’t too cold in the 48 degree water - probably because I had all that rubber on. I ended up dropping in on another surfer because a really good wave came through. I apologized to him afterwards, to which he remarked: “No problem, the waves are here for all of us to enjoy”. All in all, good first Dutch session - hope there are many more to come!
Den Haag, Netherlands, Spring
The crocuses have started to bloom, so I went to Lange Voorhout to grab some pictures. I’ve been falling behind on my blogging, but I’m planning on catching up this week. Check back for an article on Paris and a few about Ireland. Enjoy the pictures!
This is my version of an artistic shot.
Here’s a statue in front of the Swiss Embassy.
Den Haag, Spring
