Wanted: Tulips

I recently took a weekend trip to Amsterdam.  Even though the city is pretty cool and worth seeing in its own right, my real motivation for going was to see the tulip fields and Keukenhof gardens in bloom outside the city.  No joke.  That was my main reason for going and why I scheduled my trip for mid-April, which is generally the optimum time to see the flowers. 

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and decided to put off spring a bit this year.  So, my dreams of flower paradise were only partially realized.  I did see some flowers at Keukenhof, but not nearly as many as I had hoped for, and there were only a few fields starting to bloom.  What I did see was beautiful, and I still enjoyed the rest of my trip sightseeing in Amsterdam. 

One of the few flower fields in bloom.

Lovely flowers inside one of the greenhouses. 

The city was pretty cool.  I enjoyed seeing the bike culture, the canals, and the canal houses.  The Red Light district was sad to me, but I liked many other parts of the city.  And no, family, I did not smoke any marijuana even though it’s legal there.

Anyway…

Here were my favorite sites/experiences in random order:

• The Van Gogh exhibit (it was not in the Van Gogh museum when I went because the museum was being renovated) – I enjoyed reading about the man and his art and was thrilled to see some of his work in person!  Plus, Emily and I unknowingly walked into the lobby through the exit and skipped the incredibly long line to get in.  Lucky us! Woo hoo!  We didn’t even realize it until we were on the second floor and saw the super long line through a window… oops!
• Sleeping in the Hotel Boat – the owners were great and it was a fun experience.  Cramped? Sure.  Noisy? With paper-thin walls… a bit.  But still fantastic? Yes!  J

 

• The Anne Frank House museum – so interesting to see in person.  I can’t believe people lived there for over 2 years!  … also, I apparently JUST missed Bieber.  Dang.
• Keukenhof gardens – even though it was not fully in bloom, it was still beautiful… I’d love to go back again someday when it IS fully in bloom!
• Canal tour – my ticket to the gardens included a free canal tour in Amsterdam.  I really enjoyed seeing the city from the canals!

This display was in bloom!!  YES!

Favorite foods:

• The pancakes… YUM.
• The cheese… yes, I did buy 25 euros worth of cheese to bring home.  Excessive?  I think not.
• Greenwoods English Tea Room – it was just a good restaurant in general.
• The Red Band Winegums gummy candies… mmm mmm

Epic pancake.

Have you ever been to Amsterdam?  What were your favorites?