While staring at the map wondering where I could plan for my next
vacation, it suddenly crossed my mind that I should pay a visit to
Keukenhof during the tulip season since I have been told a million times
by a colleague reassuring that it will be a wonderful life time
experience. With just a few scrolls and clicks on the mouse, I managed
to complete my flight booking almost instantly. Being an absolute fan of
flowers, I wouldn’t want to miss this fantastic opportunity to visit
the famous Garden of Europe.
21st April 2016 (Thursday)
The train service to Leiden from the Schiphol Airport is very convenient in just 30 minutes. The Airbnb apartment that I have booked in Leiden was rather cheap at £45 for 2 nights but slightly distance from the station. The apartment isn’t difficult to locate with a GPS but I was surprised to find some creepy dolls that were “nicely” arranged in one corner of the attic room making the atmosphere rather spooky. The eeriness did spoil my first night but luckily I have a better rest on the second night with the lights on.
My day was spent in a relaxing way taking a walk downtown visiting some recommended attractions in Leiden, and of course with my way of relaxation, ice-cream definitely comes into the picture. Failing to locate some good food in between lunch and dinner hours, a set of Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds would be a great choice. After visiting the Castle of Leiden (Burcht van Leiden) and strolling along the streets, I had a very simple dinner grabbing some bread before returning to the apartment and call it a day.
22nd April 2016 (Friday)
Not being well rested the night before, I woke up in a disastrous state having swollen eyes and a floating mind while forcing myself to get up for a quick wash-up before walking to the station. It was in fact a blessing for me to be slothful that morning as my initial plan was to start my day as early at 7.00am, but after much procrastination and arriving at the station later at around 7.40am, I then realised that the bus is only available after 8.10am. I would have struggled in the cold if I did follow my schedule tightly.
With the advance ticket of €24.00, I get to skip the queue and walk straight into the garden. Keukenhof will only be opened from the end of March to Mid of May (for around 8 weeks in a year) hence picking the right time for the visit is crucial. The two main reasons of my selected dates were, firstly the flower parade which falls on the Saturday of week 16 (23rd April), and secondly the end of April is the safest time between the blooming and harvesting of tulips. The different species of tulips displayed in Willem-Alexander Pavilion was spectacular and amazing. At times, I feel like I am walking in the land of the fairy-tales because some sceneries and landscapes were just dreamlike.
After a long 9 hours spent in the garden, I enjoy a great meal in a Japanese restaurant when I am back in Leiden. While on my way walking back to the airbnb apartment, I passed by a small farm and saw a donkey staring at me. After observing it for some moments, it slowly walked towards me but was being hindered by a stream hence remaining a distance away. It was so cute and I am tempted to slightly walk off the track to get nearer to this adorable creature. I get to touch him slightly through the fence and he would turn his head and look at me if I stop following him as if he wanted me to follow his steps while he is slowly moving to the other end of the farm.
23rd April 2016 (Saturday)
I met up with a friend of mine who is working in Belgium early at 8.00am to start our exciting day. The initial plan was to spare at least a few hours cycling the tulip fields but we ended up enjoying our brunch and the Flower Parade until 2.30pm. It took us quite sometimes to find the bicycle rental store and we paid €10.00 each for a short rent until 5.00pm.
The landscapes of the colourful tulips were stunning and the weather was just perfect for outdoors.
For convenience’s sake, we spent a night staying in Hotel Crowne Plaza Schiphol which offers great services and comfortable room as it is close to Amsterdam and the train station. Having seen the sex show in Bangkok previously, both Ms Ooi and I are interested to make a comparison between the Asian and the European version of performance hence we book a visit to Casa Rosso in the red light district. But to our disappointment, the overall set-up of the stage and the performance was rather below expectation.
24th April 2016 (Sunday)
The weather was forecasted to be wet in Amsterdam today and it did rain during the morning. We then made a flexible change to our schedule and visited Zaandam instead of Amsterdam. The well-preserved historic windmills and houses in Zaanse Schans is making it a popular tourist attraction. We enjoyed the breezes (shivering), the hail on our face and body (ouch!), mustard soup (yummy), the clog making (interesting) and cheese tasting (wow).
This is another great trip I have and I do wish to return again during the next tulip season and I will definitely look for an absolutely comfortable hotel so that I could expect a good night rest and some better pictures in the beautiful fields without carrying on my face the obvious puffiness and eye-bags!
The train service to Leiden from the Schiphol Airport is very convenient in just 30 minutes. The Airbnb apartment that I have booked in Leiden was rather cheap at £45 for 2 nights but slightly distance from the station. The apartment isn’t difficult to locate with a GPS but I was surprised to find some creepy dolls that were “nicely” arranged in one corner of the attic room making the atmosphere rather spooky. The eeriness did spoil my first night but luckily I have a better rest on the second night with the lights on.
My day was spent in a relaxing way taking a walk downtown visiting some recommended attractions in Leiden, and of course with my way of relaxation, ice-cream definitely comes into the picture. Failing to locate some good food in between lunch and dinner hours, a set of Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds would be a great choice. After visiting the Castle of Leiden (Burcht van Leiden) and strolling along the streets, I had a very simple dinner grabbing some bread before returning to the apartment and call it a day.
22nd April 2016 (Friday)
Not being well rested the night before, I woke up in a disastrous state having swollen eyes and a floating mind while forcing myself to get up for a quick wash-up before walking to the station. It was in fact a blessing for me to be slothful that morning as my initial plan was to start my day as early at 7.00am, but after much procrastination and arriving at the station later at around 7.40am, I then realised that the bus is only available after 8.10am. I would have struggled in the cold if I did follow my schedule tightly.
With the advance ticket of €24.00, I get to skip the queue and walk straight into the garden. Keukenhof will only be opened from the end of March to Mid of May (for around 8 weeks in a year) hence picking the right time for the visit is crucial. The two main reasons of my selected dates were, firstly the flower parade which falls on the Saturday of week 16 (23rd April), and secondly the end of April is the safest time between the blooming and harvesting of tulips. The different species of tulips displayed in Willem-Alexander Pavilion was spectacular and amazing. At times, I feel like I am walking in the land of the fairy-tales because some sceneries and landscapes were just dreamlike. 
After a long 9 hours spent in the garden, I enjoy a great meal in a Japanese restaurant when I am back in Leiden. While on my way walking back to the airbnb apartment, I passed by a small farm and saw a donkey staring at me. After observing it for some moments, it slowly walked towards me but was being hindered by a stream hence remaining a distance away. It was so cute and I am tempted to slightly walk off the track to get nearer to this adorable creature. I get to touch him slightly through the fence and he would turn his head and look at me if I stop following him as if he wanted me to follow his steps while he is slowly moving to the other end of the farm. 23rd April 2016 (Saturday)
I met up with a friend of mine who is working in Belgium early at 8.00am to start our exciting day. The initial plan was to spare at least a few hours cycling the tulip fields but we ended up enjoying our brunch and the Flower Parade until 2.30pm. It took us quite sometimes to find the bicycle rental store and we paid €10.00 each for a short rent until 5.00pm. 
The landscapes of the colourful tulips were stunning and the weather was just perfect for outdoors. For convenience’s sake, we spent a night staying in Hotel Crowne Plaza Schiphol which offers great services and comfortable room as it is close to Amsterdam and the train station. Having seen the sex show in Bangkok previously, both Ms Ooi and I are interested to make a comparison between the Asian and the European version of performance hence we book a visit to Casa Rosso in the red light district. But to our disappointment, the overall set-up of the stage and the performance was rather below expectation.
24th April 2016 (Sunday)
The weather was forecasted to be wet in Amsterdam today and it did rain during the morning. We then made a flexible change to our schedule and visited Zaandam instead of Amsterdam. The well-preserved historic windmills and houses in Zaanse Schans is making it a popular tourist attraction. We enjoyed the breezes (shivering), the hail on our face and body (ouch!), mustard soup (yummy), the clog making (interesting) and cheese tasting (wow). This is another great trip I have and I do wish to return again during the next tulip season and I will definitely look for an absolutely comfortable hotel so that I could expect a good night rest and some better pictures in the beautiful fields without carrying on my face the obvious puffiness and eye-bags!
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