Dutch Bulb Fields & Amsterdam with Oli & Marguerite

 Dutch Bulb Fields & Amsterdam

The sun was shining as we travelled to Zaanse Schans, home to historic windmills and distinctive green wooden houses which were relocated here to recreate the look of an 18^th/19^th century village. We ambled through the village admiring the wonderful windmills and scenery. Here we were able to visit the saw mill windmill, built in 2007 known as ‘Het Jonge Schaap’ (The young sheep) which showed a short video of the windmills restoration before wandering around inside the mill itself. 

Next, we explored the local cheese factory where they make a variety of different flavours. We wandered around learning the process of cheese making and made sure we bought some to take home. We had great fun trying out the traditional clogs that were dotted around the village. 

How beautiful are the botanical gardens Keukenhof in the town of Lisse. This is also known as the garden of Europe and is one of the world’s largest flower gardens. What an amazing place to be, with so many different colours of flowers that stretched for miles. The gardens were full of tulips, daffodils, irises, hyacinths and lilies to name a few. 

The smells were so fragrant. We spent the day wandering through this awesome garden, visiting each pavilion hosting different flower and art exhibitions, posing for photographs and just really enjoying the atmosphere with spectacular views all around us.

Excitedly we made our way to  Amsterdam the capital of the Netherlands, well known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and of course bicycles which add to its character. We wandered around The Bloemenmarkt- the world’s only floating flower market. Dam Square was spectacular, full of history which features the Royal Palace of King William Alexander and of course the National Monument, a cenotaph where a yearly ceremony is held to commemorate the casualties of World War 2. We lunched in one of the best coffee shops in Amsterdam- The Bulldog which is the longest running coffee shop in the city. 

We passed through the ‘red light district’ following the canal and ambled along cobbled, narrow streets which led us to our afternoon adventure, a cruise trip along the canals. This was really enjoyable and relaxing and was a great way to see parts of this fabulous city.

It was soon time to leave this tranquil place and head to Lisse to watch the most famous flower parade of the Netherlands. It attracts thousands of visitors worldwide, all coming to see the only flower parade that is made up with spring flowers like tulips and hyacinths. It really was a unique experience. The parade was magnificent, floats of all shapes and sizes decorated with creative flower displays. The colours were spectacular, and the atmosphere was electric. There was a real carnival atmosphere as everyone danced along to the music blasting out from the floats as they passed. The marching drum band were amazing and looked immaculate in their uniforms. 

A must see was Zuid Kennermerland National Park, a conservation area on the west coast of North Holland. What a lovely place to disconnect from the hustle and bustle. We walked a 3km route taking us to the lake and sandy beach with sand dunes all around us. Oli and Craig decided to run some hill reps up the vast sand dunes encouraged by us and other fitness fanatics enjoying their training sessions, well done guys! Many people were swimming in the lake which we chose to abstain from….it was far too cold!