Keukenhof: flowers, sculptures and a castle
If you enjoyed my initial post about Keukenhof, you will appreciate this one as well. Keukenhof has a lot more to offer and in this additional post you will understand why.
The first thing I noticed when I arrived, was the crowds of people entering. I thought "this will not be an easy walk in the park”.
Keukenhof is reputedly one of the busiest tourist destinations in The Netherlands and it was confirmed. However, the crowds were quickly forgotten as these springtime beauties greeted me at the entrance.
The garden grounds are filled with flowers despite the colder spring weather.
There are flowers to feast your eyes everywhere: the long straight pathways,
bordered by majestic trees,
the long curved pathways
or ones surrounded by miniature palm trees
or path filled with many colors.
This sea of purple hyacinths
and these tulips seemed to go on forever through the woods.
The combinations of tulips with daffodils and other flowers are simply spectacular.
I was mesmerized by this exotic combination of tulips with crown imperials etc.
The garden is immaculately maintained.
The beauty is astounding
and with 32 hectares, it does not seems to stop.
Would you dare to walk in/on the water?
The colors were so brilliant and
the splendor of the garden shone through.
This is tulip paradise.
Even areas not awashed with color
were simply beautiful.
The Sculptures
Another aspect of this lovely landscape, is the amazing sculptures
price of sculpture -15,000 euros
which are strategically placed throughout the garden.
There are more than 100 sculptures.
Some are permanent,
whilst others are placed yearly by new sculptors.
They stood out whilst complimenting the flowers.
The Pavilions
There are 6 pavilions with souvenir shops, restaurant etc.
The Beatrix pavilion focuses on Orchids - one of my favorite flowers.
In The Juliana pavilion, the history of the tulip bulb was explained.
The tulip grew wild in the Himalayas and was brought back to the Ottoman Empire by nomadic turkish people. The Persian word for turban - "tulipan" refers to the shape of the bulb, hence the name "tulip". Sultan Soeleman the Magnificent ensured they were cultivated and bred.
A gift to the Dutch, led to the love of this special bloom which led to the so-called tulip mania in the 17th century - the dutch Golden Age.
During this period, the red striped Semper Augustus bulbs were the favorites. The stripes were actually caused by aphids - so a disease on the plants. That did not matter. The price of the bulbs soared and cost more than some houses. There was a boom, then a bust and it’s known to be the first bubble.
The trade continued after the bubble burst and now more than 3000 varieties exist and are traded. In this video you can learn more about the origins of this gorgeous flower.
numerous petalled variety
spiky petalled variety
Typical Dutch
Nijntje (Miffy)
As this is dutch country, you can obtain a souvenir of Dik Bruna’s rabbit, Nijntje (Miffy) or view her flowery display on the the lawn
or her cute statue which stood proudly amongst the blooms.
.
The windmill and the fields
I could spot the windmill from far away.
It was beckoning me to go above-for the view- so I did. This is:
-the visitors picnic area.
-the bridge where one can board a boat for a tour of the tulip fields.
-the tulips fields.
Other fields can be seen whilst traversing,
driving or cycling by the gardens.
Tulips in the fields are grown for the bulbs. Therefore, after 2-3 weeks they are headed off - that means that the flowers are cut off so that energy can be retained in the bulbs.
History of the gardens and the Castle
The last time I visited, a gardener told me that the garden is named after Castle Keukenhof. I was curious about it and literally had to go further afield - a few minutes away to see it. Upon arrival, the castle was closed but I could still make a few photos.
the side of the castle
The castle was built on the 200 hectare property in 1641. The current gardens were the hunting grounds and food garden for the Keukenhof castle. The name in dutch translated to english is Keuken=kitchen and hof = (garden/court).
the front of the castle
When one sees flowers a smile is inevitable. I wish we could all have flowers to fill each and every day. As I wandered around the gardens, I noticed how quiet it was. There seemed to be a certain reverence and appreciation which must have rendered everyone speechless. We were most certainly at a loss for words.
All in all, a day trip to Keukenhof in Lisse is well worth your time if you would love to be surrounded by flowers, beauty and history.
All photos are my own. Please do not use without permission.
Hi @momogrow,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
Is it nesseccary to be uk bound to use the tag?
I think one needs to be British - that is all.
So you came to visit us here as a tourist thought you might be living in my country
@brittandjosie - yes you guessed right - I live in Amsterdam.
Hahahhha ok I knew it
😀
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
This is simply spectacular! It is all breathtakingly beautiful. Fantastic post, my friend. It's easily my favorite of the day!
Many thanks for the kind comment and gift @melinda010100 - much appreciated. Happy you enjoyed the post. It was such a beautiful place. It was not easy to make a selection for this post.
What a wonderful flower, Thanks for sharing
Upvoted 100%
Thank you @queen-silvia - it is a beautiful flower indeed.
App Two weeks ago I was there aswell,
This is the highlight of the year what a great way to spend the day. And the appeltaart in the Keukenhof is the best
Aww you got to enjoy this beauty with your own eyes too. I did not try the appeltaart but I had a very nice lunch at the Beatrix pavilion. Keukenhof is indeed the best.
We sure were. We are Dutch so it’s a need to go thing we do , and it was great
You have a wonderful trip
Yes I had a wonderful trip. It was a lovely time surrounded by beautiful flowers.
This is exceptional 👌. What an amazing trip you had. Who would visit such a beautiful place surrounded by nature without having smiles on their faces? When I saw the purple hyacinth flowers, I was just wowed., I love the view so much,and, then your last image is super beautiful...I can see that the gardeners are doing their best to maintain the garden. This is indeed a place to visit and be happy.
All I see is a professional photographer here 😂😂....you captured all images so nicely momo.
Thanks for taking us on this adventure with you!
You are so right such beautiful nature creates joy which bring forth smiles. The place was so beautiful - I am not sure which is my favorite photo. Thanks for the compliment - all photos are taken with my smartphone. I am happy you enjoyed the visit with me.
I enjoyed every bit of it
You are doing well my dear ❤️
They have so many beautiful flowers at KeuKenhof. This is good to see
Yes they do. It is sort of overwhelmingly beautiful. I was in flowers heaven. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Wow....these are beyond beautiful. It's a labyrinth of majestic wonders in form of flowers. Absolutely breathtaking. I've not been here before but it's like I'm walking through the field, feeling the breeze and watching the flowers glow in the sunlight. Quite wonderful that you could share this sight with us today. It's amazing.✨
You description is so right. Indeed breathtaking. I am so happy that you appreciate these photos. Thank you so much. Keukenhof is a very special place - I was so happy there.
It's a true pleasure. I hope to visit Keukenhof myself one day.🌺
What a beauty! I have seen those flower beds somewhere. May be someone else shared them also. This is really Pacific view and you capture them very well. Thanks for sharing
I am happy you enjoyed the post. Maybe you saw my previous post (see link at the beginning). However I did not make the same photos as I visited the sections I left out last time. Maybe you saw photos from 1 of the million visitors annually. It is a popular destination. Thanks for the compliment.
Just love this post. It seems to be the flowers disneyland!
Thank you for sharing
You are welcome and you are right - great description. I was in flowers heaven. Spring has been cold here but it does not affect the blooms only some of the trees. Despite that the gardens were a sight to behold.
Keukenhof is a very beautiful place. Each and every photo is stunning and it just makes me feel like I should be there. You seem to always know the best places to visit. An assumption I've made from your reading some of your previous posts.
Probably one day In the future I'll move to the Netherlands. If I do I'll have to ask you to compile a list of some of the best places for me to visit. lol
Thanks for the compliment - I like beautiofu things and places and luckily Europe has a lot to offer. Yes when you visit - I can certainly make a nice comilation for you. I am happy you enjoyed the post.
Love it. I am just back from there myself, in the process of sorting out my snaps, I think they are very similar to yours. Alas I visited on a Sunday, jeeeezus it was packed, I hate crowds, always have, always will.
Yes I can understand about the crowds. It was overwhelming. I was concerned that all my photos would be crowded. I spent 5 1/2 hours there in order to avoid as many as I could. Then went to the castle. I hope you could enjoy it nevertheless. I will look forward to your post.
I never made it to the castle....it started to rain....heavily
I came for glorious photos and got some indeed! Wow! This place is just incredible! So beautiful, so photogenic :) Thanks for sharing this unique experience with us!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 35/45) Liquid rewards.
Aww I am happy you got what you came for. Yes it is an incredibly beautiful place - I got a chance to see the rest of the gardens and I was pleased. The leaves are not all out as yet but it did not take away from this spectacularly beautiful place ladened with blooms.
all this pictures are so beautiful to look at , it shows how amazing that place is and to think all this were just a day work even made it more amazing. think about the other spots you are yet to see ?
Posted using Neoxian City
Thank you @lebey1 - nice to know that you are enjoying the post. This post shows my second visit. THe first visit is in the embedded link in the first paragraph. I did not revisit the first section I saw in the previous post but I am sure it is now very beautiful as well.
nice, i must have skipped that, well, guess you have truly seen it all
amazing tour of that flower exhibition, liked your pictures a lot.
I think they have almost all kind of flowers in there, so colorful and beautiful.
I really like the castle as well, it is well maintained. I think I have seen it somewhere, maybe in my dreams lol
Thanks for sharing your trip of wonderful land.
I am happy that you enjoyed the stroll around Keukenhof with me. It is indeed beautiful there. It is possible that you saw this or another castle - they tend to look alike.
I've seen on tv that there were kilometers long queues at parking and this is when I decided that Keukenhof was not for me. However, I still wanted to see the tulips, so we went to a farmer and had the best time. There was literally nobody and we paid 2 EUR including a cup of coffee 🤣 But honestly, I have always wanted to visit Keukenhof, it's just the crowds that keep me away, so I'm happy that you took me on a tour and I don't have struggle among those people 😂
Thank you for sharing! It's been fun!
Aww I must tell you that the car park was indeed full. I was concerned at first that I would be miserable and not be able to make one decent photo. However you can see the outside. I had to be patient however.
Ticket are sold for time slots and that spreads the crowd throughout the day a bit more.
If you click on the embedded link in the first paragraph you will see the gardens on the opening day in March. It was not crowded but not all flowers were in bloom. It was still beautiful however.
Basically it is a gamble and a trade off regarding the crowds and the flowers.
However I am happy I could take you on this visit with me. The gardens were gorgeous and the crowds were not overwhelming.
Btw you got a great deal at the tulip farm and it is nice to support a local grower.
O M G🌷I never thought there was a place so beautiful like this besides Japan as one time shared by witzu in her blog.
I have never seen anything like these before, Just look at those flower beds and the magnificent castle😍
Had no idea a windmill is this huge, I'm totally impressed with how well they've preserved the 15th century ways. It's timeless!
TBH If the mind of man can think this grand, I can only imagine and now believe the garden of Heaven exist and it's breathtaking as described.
Amazing outdoor charms💗💙💚🌺🌷🌼🌹💛🧡💜
Yes it was truthly breathtaking. The mind of man can thing of heavenly things because we are made in "his image" - right. I believe that if we can think about it we can create it and hence we have seen amazing creations worldwide. This place is so beautifully put together and maintained - it quietens the mind to appreciate natures offerings.
A windmill can be 2-3 stories high. Some are repurposed as homes.
One of my dreams is to find a place like this in Nigeria. I always love to see beautiful things 🥰 wow they are so Captivating and so nice 👍. You are really doing a great job blessing us with beautiful pictures 🥰.
Thanks so much Momo 🥰 I Wish to see more of this 💕
You are welcome. I am happy that you enjoy this photos and this lovely place. Do you want to create a new botanical garden in Nigeria? That would be great - you could have a section dedicated to tulips.
It's astounding to see these. I've read your previous walk on the place and was imagining how the place is going to look when the flowers bloom and I'm so wowed on seeing them now. The vast fields of tulips and various flowers in bloom. Truly a spectacle. Thank you for this walk through your amazing photos😍
Aww many thanks @ifarmgirl - I hesitated to mention the post but really wanted you to see it. The beauty was overwhelming and I am happy you enjoyed it.
I'm really thankful you mentioned it. I had a great time and enjoyed all of them. I do wish to visit it if not, a similar place with vast fields of blooming flowers.
:-) you are welcome
What a beautiful park @momogrow . Flowers certainly are the most beautiful gift of nature 🌺🌸⚘🌷🌺🌻🌹⚘. You really made my day with these beauties ❤❤✨
Aww that is wonderful. I am happy to hear that your virtual tour with me is a good one. The place was overwhelming beautiful- it was truly flower paradise.
Wow. This place is indeed beautiful, colourful and has very rich history. I am blown away by its beauty. Love those flowers and seeing that castle brought to my mind that TV series titled "Bridgeton" - Castle of 1641 looks like it was just constructed. A pity it was closed I'd have loved to see the inside 🙈
Thanks for sharing!