Keukenhof

Keukenhof is the best place to see spring blossoms and is one of the most famous tourist spots in the Netherlands, one of the most photographed places in the world and the largest bulb flower park in the world.   It covers an area of 30 hectares, a huge sprawling complex with miles and miles of footpaths and billions and billions of flowers. Getting off at Leiden centraal station, you are offered a combi ticket, for transportation to and from the park and entrance to the park. Beautifully laid Tulip gardens stretched as far as the eye can see, small gardens with exotic, rare bulbs and huge greenhouses, each with a theme of its own.


For those of you who have seen colourful photographs of Tulips forming carpets so thick that they could have been painted on the ground, the picture was probably taken in the Netherlands. It is so famous for its Tulips, white, violet, red and black that Tulips naturally bring Holland to mind. In fact, the blockbuster Tamil movie, Anniyan, so familiar to us, had an entire song filmed in the Tulip gardens of the Netherlands.

Flowers being the base for everything here in Keukenhof, it sure hadn't limited the artists' creativity, with themes ranging from music, flowers hanging in graceful curves symbolic of the notes in music to the painstakingly carved bushes carefully decorated with Tulips, it was a place where art and nature intertwined. The sheer variety of flowers overwhelmed me, some like dangling bells, others like snakes bearing their fangs or a huge flower which on closer inspection turned out to be hundreds of smaller ones. Some flowers sprouted from creepers on the wall while others floated in small ponds and hung from trees. What really amazed me were the bouquets and baskets of Tulips on display, meticulously arranged.

We met our friends from Delhi as we'd promised them we would back at Alkmaar. We strolled around, chatting, admiring the flowers and through the never ending gardens. We then had a quiet picnic in the greens, among the Tulips and the bushes and had a perfect lazy time. Packing your lunch might be a  good idea if you want one that really compensates for your walking around the park. As we ended our tour around the park, we realised how tired we were, we'd walked about 15 kilometres that day!

It is really easy to reach Keukehof as it is immensely popular among tourists and locals alike. Numerous trains and buses make Keukenhof a well connected place. On the way to Keukenhof from Leiden, you get an insight into the country life in The Netherlands. I loved Keukenhof very much and is a haven for photography!