Only 5.5 kms walking today.
I had an awful night’s “sleep”. My cold/ virus sent me a
temperature, headache, runny nose and a vicious sore throat. By the time I woke
up at 6:30 I just wanted to turn over and go back to sleep, but not today. It
was the garden day. I ate very little at breakfast and was soon suited up for
the pouring rain.
Once again up to the tram stop and into Central Station,
then I walked down to the meeting point for this tour. Not the best organised
system, but eventually all the bus tours left and we were on our way to a bulb
farm and one of the most important parts of this stop- the Keukenhof Gardens.
The bus was full but I was lucky enough to get a window
seat. Most on the bus spoke English, but some needed a Spanish translation for
the commentary, so the guide said it in English first, then Spanish. We drove
out of Amsterdam along some very flat areas. The Netherlands has 26% below sea
level and Amsterdam has some parts that are 4 metres below. That’s why they
have locks, dikes and canals that are paid for by a special tax.
Our first stop was a bulb growing farm. The farmer was
really interesting. They actually strip the flower off the plant to make the
bulb grow bigger. The bulbs are grown in a very sandy soil on a regular crop
rotation are never watered because the water table is just below the surface.
He told us that we must dig up and move our bulbs every year and cautioned us
about buying from the bulb sellers in the town flower district. Apparently the
bulbs are old ones and will not flower? We had a cup of tea in the shed €1.50
and some bought bulbs and other tulip related items. We also watched a short
video about the 10 billion- yes that was billion- bulbs grown every year for
sale. He had some amazing types of daffodils, hyacinths and tulip blooms in the
shed.
From here we drove straight to Keukenhof to park along with
the hundreds of other buses and cars. We were given specific instructions that
we must be on the bus at 3:45. It was a very efficient and quick way to enter.
I grabbed a map and set off to revel in the fabulous garden. Despite the recent
rain and today’s wind the flowers were holding up reasonably well. They plant
the bulbs here in three levels so that there will always be blooms for the
short 8 week season. In the 8 weeks they get 1 million visitors. The garden
designs were just beautiful. I wasn’t a fan of the special display areas- they
seemed to be more gimmicky. The view from the windmill was a dud- most of the
viewing area had already been ploughed up.
There was lots to see. And hundreds of people all doing the same, but
with 32 hectares (79 acres) and 7 million tulips, hyacinths and daffodils there
was plenty for everyone. Unfortunately Keukenhof does NOT cater for gf’s. I had
some snacks with me and had several lots of tea. €2.50 each.
Soon time to get back on the bus and head back to town. By
now the sun was shining and the sea of umbrellas from this morning had
disappeared, but the crowds hadn’t. I stopped at McD for a chicken Caesar salad
and small fries. The fries I ate and the salad I bought back for dinner. I
caught the tram back to the hotel area, had a shower and washed my hair and
clothes, took a Zytec and Panadol then started typing. 8:10 and still sunshine.
Finished the delicious salad and editing. 9:00 and the sun is almost setting!
No comments:
Post a Comment