Spring is a great time for Amsterdam, and Holland in general. Just the word Holland makes me think of flowers, and spring is the time to see them. Keukenhof is one of the largest flower gardens in the world, 79 acres with over 7 million flowers, and only open from late March to the middle of May. I knew this trip would be my best chance to go. Keukenhof is in Lisse, South Holland. Amsterdam is in North Holland. Fortunately, all of Holland is pretty small – less than 20% of the Netherlands. I took a bus from Europaplein, which is right next to Beatrixpark. The bus goes straight from the station to the garden in about an hour. Going from Schiphol is supposed to be faster, which makes sense. The train from Centraal to Schiphol takes about 15 minutes. Schiphol is roughly halfway between Centraal and Lisse. So instead of an hour bus ride, I could have taken a 45 minute train/bus. Maybe next time. Unfortunately, I missed the flower parade, which everyone says is impressive. That was on the Saturday before I arrived in Amsterdam. The end of April might be the best time to avoid crowds, but the beginning of April is probably more eventful.
Since Keukenhof is only open for two months, and more people go than ever before so they can put pictures online, I assumed it would be ridiculously crowded. It was not. I was far from the only other person there, but I saw more flowers than people staring at their phones. I was later told that I picked the best time to go. Weekends are always more crowded, and I went on a Tuesday. I went as early as I could and still get in because I am a morning person. By the time I left the garden, more and more people started flooding in.
I could have stayed longer and maybe waited until sunset to watch the flowers glow, but it was getting too crowded and I had other plans. Lisse just happens to be an excellent place to ride a bicycle. There are at least a dozen places downtown to rent a bike. The fields and canals are an easy ride away. Since Holland is flat and there are bike lanes all over the place, everywhere was an easy ride. Even downtown. Lisse is a tiny town that looks more like the residential suburbs of Amsterdam than the more famous and crowded Grachtengordel. What really struck me was how easy it was to ride around in the middle of the city.
I don't own a bicycle. I want to. I love to ride and it is great exercise. But the parts of Hong Kong with all the people are a very dangerous place to ride a bike. I don't live out in the middle of nowhere. I am surrounded by a few million people on a peninsula the size of JFK Airport. There are some nice spots in the country parks and around Lantau Island, but getting there from my apartment with a bicycle is nothing but trouble. It is almost always oppressively humid in Hong Kong and you can get stuck in a sudden downpour at any time. By contrast, Lisse was safe, clean and charming. April is never hot in Holland and the only rain we have had on this trip so far has been a few light morning or afternoon sprinkles here and there.
Just a few minutes outside of downtown Lisse was pastoral countryside, which is a little impressive when you know how densely packed Holland is. I was never far from a house or farm, but there was plenty of open road and a ridiculously long canal. I looked it up later on. It is about 15 miles long. I would imagine it is always a beautiful ride. I would love to see it covered in snow or even the greens of summer, but all the colors of spring flowers blooming is what I will always remember.
The houses along the canal reminded me of Normandy, north of Caen and Bayeux; quaint little cottages near the water with tiny gardens in the front yard and a small road to get you into town. Neither place is especially popular or on any lists of the great cities of the world, but I felt just as comfortable riding around Lisse as I did driving around Normandy. Though I have always lived in large cities, I could picture myself settling down in either of these beautiful village areas.
It was such a simple day, but about as close to perfect as you can get. I spent almost no money, made no reservations and followed no schedule. I walked around a garden and rode a bicycle in the countryside. And it could not have been a better day. I could almost imagine the smell of all those flowers.
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