Soon after I graduated and found a good job I planned and executed my first independent trip. And, of course, I wanted it to be something exciting and memorable. So, I chose to attend a flower parade in the Netherlands. Eleven years after I still remember this trip very well: exploring Amsterdam and its amazing architecture, visiting Rijksmuseum and soaking in the Keukenhof garden. And obviously attending the flower parade itself.
Flower Parade
Each year the parade has a specific topic, in 2012 it was ‘communications’ which was a funny coincidence because I worked in telecom industry at that moment. It’s a great pity no photos of the parade survived till today apart from this excerpt from my travel diary that you can see below. But I don’t need to look at those photos to remember the level of excitement I had on this day. For someone who equally loves travel and flowers, visiting a Dutch flower parade is a huge event.
Keukenhof Garden
If you don’t fancy the idea of going to a Flower Parade or if you love flowers so much that one parade isn’t enough for you, consider visiting the Keukenhof garden. It is a huge garden with over 7 million flower bulbs situated outside Amsterdam, in the municipality of Lisse. Since it showcases spring flower only, it is open for a short period of time: since end of March till mid-May. Keukenhof is an endless source of inspiration for gardeners and creative people, and I did my bit by making this embroidery:
Sightseeing in Amsterdam
Back at the time I wasn’t an experienced traveler, and I missed many opportunities. For example, I didn’t know that I can take a bunch of flowers onboard a plane otherwise I would arrive home with a heap of fresh tulips. Also, for some reason, that I don’t remember, I didn’t visit Van Gogh Museum.
On the other side I had a chance to visit Heineken beer museum and had a lot of fun there with a guided tour that explains the brewing process and a 4-D film experience. I’ve also been to the Amsterdam Zoo and Madame Tussauds wax museum. Another exciting spot was Brouwerij 't IJ, a small brewery located under the Amsterdam’s biggest windmill.
Windmill Experience
Talking about mills, during my short stay I made it to Zaanse Schans, a neighborhood in the Netherlands that is famous for its windmills and wooden houses that were relocated here from other regions for preservation. Every windmill and house in the area is a small museum that introduce the Dutch life and household of the 17-18th centuries.
Local Food
There's no rose without a thorn – during my visit I really struggled to find a place with nice local cuisine. When several years later I discussed this with a professional food blogger from the Netherlands, he confessed that he also struggled to find such places in Amsterdam. Luckily, as you may know from my post about Poland, I adore herring which is the Netherland’s specialty. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts with local cafes, I sticked to consuming herring and going to an Italian restaurant.
Plans to Revisit
Since that trip in 2012 I never came back the Netherlands which makes me sad because there is yet a lot to discover in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities. I had a revisit planned for 2020 but it was cancelled due to covid. However, I don’t lose hope and believe that a new Dutch adventure awaits me.
