Keukenhof

On Sunday my lovely mum came to visit me and with the beautiful tulip fields at Keukenhof having just opened, we thought it would be the perfect time to go, especially because the weather in Holland has been beautiful lately! Because I live in Amsterdam, I never find time to do all the touristy things Holland has to offer, so when I have a visitor, it’s the perfect excuse to go out and explore.

Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe is the world's largest flower garden and is situated in the South of Holland in a small town, Lisse, Southwest of Amsterdam. 

After hearing so many positive comments online about Keukenhof being one of the places you must see during your life, I was really excited to go… Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t all I thought it was cracked up to be. The flowers were beautiful, the gardens made me want to be Brie Van De Kamp and spend my days perfecting my own little garden, forming perfectly formed flower beds whilst drinking homemade lemonade, but somehow I still left feeling disappointed. 

Everything was all a little TOO perfect, almost artificial. I'm a perfectionist so I loved that everything was neatly laid out and pretty but then everything became slightly samey and it seemed everywhere you turned there was a cafe or souvenir shop... I felt that it was a continuous journey for them to make more money. The restaurants were there to feed people by the hundreds, there was no intimacy or relaxing atmosphere you'd hope for in the middle of a flower garden, and the bus loads of people arriving every few minutes made it just too touristy. 

All the same, I managed to take some beautiful pictures and get some inspiration for my own garden, whilst also catching a slight tan (on my shoulders). 

Have you any spots in Holland to recommend when future visitors come to town? 

Love garden 

Who knew people actually wear these?!