I'M WEARING>> Coat: FF Studio// Sweater: H&M// Skirt: Zara// Boots: Raid London// Bag: Pop & Suki// Hat: Asos// Sunnies: Monki
Probably one of the best ideas Leon and I made on this trip is to leave Amsterdam for a day to see everything flowers in Lisse, an area South of Amsterdam in Holland known for its flowers. To be completely honest with you, I was sort of anxious for this day, because of all seasons, we decided to come to Europe in early spring. Now, I know that flower fields and parks generally bloom in spring, but it also meant that the weather was a little more unpredictable during our whole trip. Weather forecast apps showed us a daily schedule of rain, clouds, and thunderstorms from the moment we left Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and up until we departed from Roma Fiumiciano Airport in Italy, which made me anxious to no end.
So on this day, the weather forecast app said clouds, and rain, lots of rain, from the afternoon onwards. So we decided to leave our hotel very, very early to head to Schiphol Airport, where you could find one of the designated buses to take you to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse. The journey would take about 30 minutes. We were lucky enough to have sunny periods, though cloudy, but fortunately, the rain didn't come until we had returned from our morning adventure.
Another thing I was anxious about was the fact that we came too early, just right after winter, so there was a chance that none of the flowers have even bloomed yet. For your info, the best time should be later in April, but no later than April 29, after which they cut down the flowers for selling.
But luckily, again, the woman at the bus counter informed us that spring in Amsterdam was particularly warm this year (she says to the shivering Asian dummy who is not equipped for a full-on European spring, my fault, not hers), and the flowers have all started blooming. A big sigh of relief. I would shiver the whole day for this.
Our first stop was the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens, known as the Gardens of Europe. The park is only open three months a year so I'm glad we got to go here. If you are planning a visit, I suggest to buy the tickets earlier online. You will get a QR code that you just have to scan at the gate, We got in at 9AM in the morning, meaning that while there were other people, it was not at all crowded and we got some great pictures. As with all the other times I have had to go to a popular tourist spot, my first and really, only advice would be to always go early, unless you don't mind a lot of people in your pictures.
So, on the Keukenhof Gardens map, it does show that they have a big field filled with rows and rows of multicolored buds, which is, of course, what we zeroed in upon getting into the park. We did find it, but then realized that the whole area with the rows of flowers were separated from us by water canals. To this day I don't know if the boat rides at the park would actually let you stop in the field to take pictures like what we have above, but we panicked, and so left the park in a rush, now at a loss of what to do.
After a little googling, I found that most visitors who have pictures with the rows and rows of flowers stated that they either drove or biked to those fields. Outside Keukenhof Gardens a few meters away is a bike rental shop who will not only lend you bikes, but also rent you a basket that matches your outfit (mere coincidence, because Leon's basket ain't this pretty), and most importantly, give you a map that shows you where the flower fields are located.
So ensues the longest bike ride of my life, clocking in at about 3 hours in total. But lo and behold, the pictures you have today. They're not tulips but the most brilliant shade of red I've ever seen. Matched my outfit perfectly. Some flower fields are inaccessible because of the water canals around them, but we finally found one where we could just walk right in. And don't worry, I didn't pluck, touch, or damage anything. The buds I have are from the park.I think that if you just respect the farmer's field, they'll barely acknowledge you. Trust me, there was a man in a tractor watering all the flowers the whole time we were there.
Finally, after a long, long morning - biking back to the rental area and returning the bikes, catching our bus, eating fruit - it rained just when we touched down back at Schiphol Airport and didn't stop again until 5PM. Brrr, it was so cold. So Leon and I bought some food and warm drinks, took a train back to our hotel, and passed out almost immediately, so concluding Day 2!
So to conclude, a good day.
I hope you enjoyed this photos and the extra long story time I have for you today. I'm just quite happy to have found all this info before and during our trip so here I am sharing it with you, for when you have your own adventures in Lisse.
So have you been or would you like to go to Lisse for all things flowers? Let me know in the comments below! See you soon lovelies - Che
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