Keukenhof Gardens, Holland

Here is some color to brighten up your Monday, wherever you are. It's a chilly, rainy Scottish day here! We spent Friday at Keukenhof Gardens in Holland and I was absolutely amazed by the incredible color and variety and attention to detail throughout the gardens. While it's commonly referred to as the Tulip Festival, there were dozens of other spring flowers that added intense color and texture to the gardens. 

There is a reason that this is one of the most well-known gardens in the world. There are over seven million bulbs planted throughout the thirty-two hectares. We went when it was still rather chilly and according to National Geographic, this was peak tulip week at the gardens. And let me just say, the flowers made the chilly spring weather much more tolerable.  

Probably one of my favorite color and plant combinations in the entire garden. 

The garden was really busy, but tightly cropped photos and a lot of patience give the allusion of us having the space all to ourselves (which wasn't remotely true). And speaking of photos, I took over 250 and this post barely scratches the surface. The place was so incredibly gorgeous I just couldn't resist filling up my camera card! 

We opted to take the bus from the airport (which was an adventure) and skipped the lines so we could go straight into the gardens. I would highly recommend this method of transportation because the gardens are pretty far outside of the city and it was cheaper for the two of us to take the bus instead of renting a taxi. We also opted to walk around the gardens ourselves, although there is a three hour bus tour option if you're so inclined. 

I think we saw most of the gardens, but I'm sure we missed some parts of it just because it's so expansive. The gardens are really well thought out and accommodate plenty of people on winding paths. The busiest places were around the food vendors, of course. 

This is a tulip made out of tulips. 

So many gorgeous green spaces! The leaves were just budding while we were visiting. 

Rows and rows of gorgeous color! 

There is also a large orchid house which was overflowing with orchids and people who were desperate for warmth, I think. In the background of the above picture, you can see the entire row of hanging orchids that hung over our heads. There is another large greenhouse in the center of the garden that we sadly never made it in to. 

Fields and fields of tulips. As we flew out of Amsterdam yesterday, our pilot pointed out some of the tulip fields from up above. So many different colors brightening up the green landscapes! 

Of course, no trip to Holland would be complete without a trip to a windmill. We were able to climb up it and get some stunning views of the fields. It was also really busy and the wind was moving the arms in a manner that reminded me of Don Quixote. Also, some of the best waffles ever were to be had at the square in front of the windmill. 

Had the weather been warmer, we could have gone for a boat trip down the canal. 

The gardens were absolutely spectacular and I hope to someday make it back because I'd love to take some bulbs home as a souvenir! The park was pretty informal (not a lot of warning signs or fences), but we didn't see people picking the flowers, trampling through the gardens, or even leaving litter about. We brought our own lunch and grabbed some (slightly overpriced) snacks from venders within the gardens. It was a gorgeous place to visit and I already can't wait to go back someday!