Keukenhof

This post is about the jewel of the Netherlands. I wrote about mills before, now it is all about the tulips. Unfortunately, Keukenhof park can't be visited all year. It is opened only from the middle of March till the middle of May. Keukenhof express tourist buses start from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. You can buy combi tickets, including the bus ticket and the admission fee too.

Unfortunately, we went to the park one week before closing, so some of the flowers were already withered, also the tulip fields. So it is advisable to visit this place around April.

There are indoor flower displays too. The Willem-Alexander Pavilion (named after the King) was full of lillies, so I guess,  you can imagine, how strong the fragrance was in this building.

The Beatrix Pavilion (named after the former Queen, the King's mother) is for the orchid-lovers. After seeing the this flowers in so many different sizes and colours, everyone wants to have one at home.

  

At the Juliana Pavilion (named also after a former Queen, Beatrix's mother) we could learn about the origin of tulips, and many interesting things. Visitor can get gardening tips about the best planting periods of each type of flower. We also learnt that the striped tulips were actually created with a virus.

The Oranje-Nassau Pavilion (the House of the King) was full of  colourful compostions of cut flowers.

The Keukenhof Garden tries to satisfy the needs of the modern world. I am talking about the selfie walls... :)

Look at these flower beds. They are too cute, aren't they?! :)

And finally some other photos of these wonderful flowers without any comments:

Keukenhof is closed fo this year. but if you will spend a couple of days in the Netherlands next spring (you should:) :), this is the place, you have to visit, supposing that you like flowers. But who does not?! :)

Zaanse Schans

We did it! And of couse, by bike. It was  68 km altogether. We have planned this trip since weeks, but weather was never favourable at the weekends. Otherwise, I was worrying about the distance too, but we made it with no problem. On 27th of April we could "climb our Mount Everest". 

Despite to the ugly, wet weather, there were a lot of tourists.The houses and bulidings were so cute. It can be a pleasure to live in such a nice place. But the constant flow of tourists might be annoying. Altough, people, who live there, evidently do not care much about it. They don't even close the curtains. Anyway, it is very common in the Netherlands, They say, there is nothing to be hide.

This place is all about the mills. There are several of them along the riverside. Each mill can be visited, and tickets must be bought separately. If you are belong to the group of cheeselovers, you can't leave without visiting the cheese store among the many souvenir shops.

When you decide to have a snack, be prepared for the (always) hungry ducks. They come really close to humans to get a little treat. While walking next to the mills you can see cats, lambs, and goats too.

It was worth every kilometer to see this wonderful view. It is one of the places you have to visit, when you come to the Netherlands.

Olimpic stadion & Amstelpark

I was lagging behind in my posts lately. I have a lot to make up.
5th of May was a public holiday here again, so we spent the day with cycling. Anyway, this period of the year is full of national holidays in the Netherlands. After King's day (27th April),  they celebrate Liberation day (the end of Nazi occupation in 1945). On 14th of May is Ancension day (when Jesus ascended to heaven), and after that is Pentecost (when Holy spirit descended onto the followers of Jesus).

You may not know it, but in 1928, Summer Olimpic Games took place in Amsterdam. Here is the olimpic stadium:

By the entrance, you can see the Dutch winners of olimpic games from the beginning.

On every 4th of May (Remembrance day) a commemoriaton ceremony is held to remember sportmen died in the WWII. Olimpic circles shaped wreaths are laid to the Prometheus statue.

The olimpic stadium is still used as a location of different sport events. 

After visiting the stadium we stopped at Amstelpark. We saw it a lot of times from outside, but it was our first time going in.

The park provides a great time for both adults and kids. It can be crossed by mini train, and there is a great playground for kids too. There are several eating facilities, a mini zoo and minigolf.

If you visit Amstelpark, you can't leave without taking a photo with the huge yellow table and chairs. You could feel yourself really tiny. 

Mosaic benches make a nice place to sit and eat an ice cream. With the mosaic eggs they make the park really unique and colourful.

It is so calming to walk on rocks at the little lake, going thorough the green plant tunnels, or sitting on a bench by the lake and watching the ducks.

Amstelpark is one of the most amazing places in Amsterdam. This is your place if you want to relax outdoor, our you can spend your time actively, since it is great for running too.