We set out on our journey from B&B Paula on the west side of Haarlem. Going south we passed through the
affluent suburb of Aerdenhout, home of many beautiful homes like this thatched roof mansion.
We bicycled further south through the woods but it seems that the horse riders had come out earlier,
judging by the fresh droppings. The Dutch have pretty much cleaned up the dog poep problem in the
cities but horses are uncontrolled in the countryside. There is Paula in the brown jacket waiting for me to
take a picture of this mess. There ought to be a scoop law for horsey people.
Ah ha. Only 20 minutes south of B&B Paula we come across our first tulip field.
Well, you must know that this is Holland because there goes one of those double decker Dutch commuter
trains flying south from Haarlem to Leiden. They'll get there before we do but we are smelling the flowers.
Hyacinths drive me crazy. No sails on the windmill today.
You can stop here and buy some flowers. Two bos (bundles) of tulips cost only €2.50 (~$3.90) and 20 roses
are a steal at € 3.50 (~$5.40). The makelaar is a real estate agent offering the house next door
te koop (for sale) for probably a princely sum.
Another field of stunning wild red.
Here is photographic evidence that people actually do tip toe through the tulips.
Here is another part of the ground level rainbow south of Haarlem.
A village extends its welcome, also in church on Sunday at 10:00. The auto road narrows four times, but not
the red bicycle road.
We were following the route of bus number 90 which goes all the way to The Hague. Here is a typical bus stop
with schedule and route. Public transport in Holland is very good, unless there is a driver strike.
If you are driving follow the blue signs. The number next to the name of each town is the distance in
kilometers. Each kilometer is 6/10 of a mile. N 206 is a route number.
The speed limit is 30 kph (about 18 mph) in the tiny village of De Zilk, "Heart of the Bulb District."
You are welcome in four languages but you are not allowed to park your large trucks, busses, or
trailers in town overnight, except in marked zones.
Ga terug means "go back." Seeing as how there is a 5 ton truck coming your way and filling the road
I would go back very quickly. The round red one with the white belt means "do not enter" which, as here, is
posted at the outlet end of highway off ramps and one way streets.
Another 50 meters (about 50 yards) down the road you can't ride your bike or brommer (bike-like machine
with a maximum 50 cc noisy gasoline engine). This is typical of no entry signs where the silhouette may be of
a horse, hay wagon, or anything else that moves on legs or wheels.
If you are riding a bike follow the red bordered signs. Hey, we are getting close! Keukenhof is only three
kilometers away. That's less than two miles and the sky is still blue. This is our lucky day.
What a welcome sight this is, a cafe. We stopped for a traditional Dutch beverage, the pale orange stuff
with a white foamy head. An Italian family had rented those four green bikes in Leiden for their journey to Keukenhof.
What had been a beautiful Dutch bike is now poled on a busstop sign. I would like to know the story behind this.
Finally we arrive at Keukenhof after two hours of strenuous lolling about on the bicycles, having a beverage
at the cafe, and taking photos. We could have easily made it in under an hour except for the lolling.
As you can see, Keukenhof was open from March 20 to May 18 in 2008. The Dutch language does not
capitalize month names. The Bloemencorso is an annual flower float parade, sort of a small Rose Parade
without the glitz. More info and ticket sales can be found at the web site.
Finally inside Keukenhof, we were greeted by the first patch of beautiful flowers. There are acres and acres
of this and it could get boring. I will be making another Keukenhof page for specialists
who must see the details.
Just my own personal opinion but I would say that these bloemen look rather confused. The
official name is Emperor's Crown but I suggest calling them "Nutty Professor."
This is an example of photos in the specialists/aficionados page to come. Each bed has a name plaque so
you can order bulbs. These are not fully in bloom and are labeled as "late" to indicate that they are
late bloomers, like me.
Signs like these are posted around Keukenhof. Entrances/exits are indicated by the P for
parking signs. Hoofdingang is the main entrance. Rest your bones and nourish your body at the
cafe pavilions. For example, at Willem Alexander Pavilion you can get information brochures, enjoy one of three
sorts of toilets, get a band aid, buy souvenirs, have a snack and beverage, and change your dollars into
way overpriced euros. BTW, Willem Alexander is a royal prince and will probably be the next king of the
Netherlands. Beatrix is the current queen and Wilhemenia is a former queen, her grandmother. Beatrix' mother,
Queen Juliana, was beloved by the Dutch. Her birthday is celebrated vigorously on April 30 every year. See my page at
Queen's Day
for pictures of the Amsterdam events in 2008.
A couple of masonry bulbs helps to decorate the grounds.
When you have had enough tulips challenge yourself on these pads. Don't drown.
Back to the displays. There are dozens of patches of bloemen in Keukenhof.
Every step you take opens up more acres of color.
Here is a patch of "Maytime" tulips.
Before you buy your bulbs make sure that the package has the certificate of good health. If the
bulbs do not have the holograph certificate the US Customs Service will burn them when you bring them home.
We stoped for a beverage and utterly lousy sullen insulting "service" at this cafe. On the left is an
organ grinder. This guy didn't have a monkey but made a lot of noise with his machine and shaking his
coin cup.
Tail of the dog, but this one didn't bite me.
It looks like ladies nude golfing is allowed. Fore!!
No Dutch attraction would be complete without a kid zone. Keukenhof is no exception. I am not
too old to try that myself.
Tulips go with windmills.
Just another pretty scene.
I am jaded.
It isn't over until the fat lady does the hula hoop.
The day is getting late as we ride back to Haarlem past more tulip fields and this quiet canal. Holland
is one beautiful country.
When I get two thousand pictures sorted out there will be more to come with photos of
Haarlem and Amsterdam. This isn't my day job so be patient.
See you in Keukenhof in 2009!!
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