Netherlands in Pictures

What better way to celebrate Mr. G's birthday than with a last minute trip to Amsterdam! He got a trip and was able to cross Amsterdam trip, off his bucket list. Here are some things we learned about the Netherlands in pictures.

We arrived on his actual birthday day ... and over an English breakfast, which is most popular here - he open a birthday card which our most thoughtful friends from Vermont, had mailed ahead of time to our home (for me to give to him upon our arrival in Amsterdam - his bday).

We stayed at the Barbizon Palace hotel  

across from Central Station. And it was a pleasure to stay at during our time in  exploring Amsterdam. Great staff, close to everything, good size rooms - and very clean.

The Canals....

A day trip to Keukenhof Gardens ... words cannot describe the beauty of this place... 

4.5 million bulb-flowers in 100 varieties... you can see more photos here.

Flower Markets ..... 

there were not as many as I had expected, but the ones we saw were amazing!

Food .... amazing... and from all corners of the world can be found here...

and a little wine too....

Amsterdam is most liberal and tolerant ... as a tour through the Red District and some of the museums shows

Ladies you don't get to see this everyday in Amsterdam ... this tourist may have been celebrating a little too much during the soccer games and decided to jump in the canal. He was smart enough to remove his clothing before jumping in ..lol

Bikes ... everywhere ... there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam....

RAIN!!! .... constantly ... we had 2 days of sunshine...

No matter where in the world you go ... there is always a little bit of home,

to comfort you on damp rainy days. 

Despite the rain the people are all so friendly, no matter where you go. We look forward to visiting again in the future.

If we were questioning our trip to Europe (Italy and Portugal) later this year, our keys had lots to say...

What are the chances of being given these 2 countries out of 25???

What are your travel plans for the summer?

Stay in Step with High Heeled Life ...

Keukenhof Gardens - Holland

During our recent trip to the Netherlands in celebration of Mr. G's birthday, we took a tour to the Keukenhof gardens. This is the largest bulb-flower park in the world. As you will note by the above sign, the gardens are only open to visitors from March 21st - May 20th. This is definitely something to add to your anticipation list (see post on anticipation here), here you will find no less than 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties. Have I captured your attention?

Here I try on some shoes that are not high heels ... 

 There are beautiful water features...

Daffodils ...

The Maxima Lutea, captured my attention ...

Everywhere you look, you will find inspiration 

for creating your own gardens and planters...

These are just breath taking, wouldn't you agree?

The combination of colour , brilliant!

 They say a photo is worth a thousand words...

 There was an absolute abundance of flowers named in honour of some most deserving people...

Pink and yellow...

It was a precious moment to observe these small tots enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature ...

Have you been to Keukenhof ?

We only managed to see a small portion of the gardens, so a return trip is on the HHL Anticipation List

Stay in Step with High Heeled Life ...

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