A Place Called Roam
  • Home
  • Tao of Travel
  • The Best Of
  • Archives
  • About
  • Contact Me

LET YOURSELF GO IN HOLLAND'S KEUKENHOF GARDENS

5/12/2015

 
Seven million blooming bulbs covering acres and acres of one of the world’s largest gardens were creating a rousing riot of sublime color!  
Picture
Earth laughs in flowers. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seconds after entering Holland’s famous Keukenhof Gardens, I was swept up in the melee.  Granted, I didn’t put up much of a fight, not with all the flowers shouting, “Let yourself go!  You’re bound to bloom.”  
And so I let loose, tiptoeing through the tulips; 
Picture
Eat your heart out, Tiny Tim.
and weaving my way through the hyacinths.
Picture
There were hyacinths as far as the eye could see. The smell was intoxicating!
The daffodils were delightful, too, heralding spring with a playful fervor. 
Picture
Such power in numbers.
The daisies, on the other hand, were too busy to give me the time of day, preoccupied as they were with harboring one rogue tulip.
Picture
The lone ranger.
Time was definitely the enemy the day of our visit.  We (me, Jimmy, and travel buddies Joan and Jerry) 
Picture
I must admit; this picture was not taken at Keukenhof Gardens. Otherwise it's a great selfie!
had four hours in which to cover 79 acres of formal gardens and pavilions overflowing with nothing but fabulous flowers (and thousands of other not-so-fabulous visitors intent on seeing the fireworks from mid-March to mid-May). 

Fortunately, the flowers managed to tame the masses, offering colorful islands of exquisite tranquility in the midst of all the madness.  

Picture
Pretty in pink!
Countess Jacqueline of Bavaria would undoubtedly be proud of her humble 15th century legacy.  Where she once gathered fruits and vegetables for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle (Keukenhof means “kitchen garden”) Holland’s magnificent Keukenhof Gardens now stands.  

In 1857 landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher fashioned an English landscape style garden for the current castle residents, the Baron and Baroness Van Pallandt.  By 1949 the small town of Lisse, where these original hunting grounds are now located, decided Keukenhof would be the perfect place for growers from all over the Netherlands and Europe to showcase their hybrids from mid-March to mid-May – and to help the Dutch export industry.  Must have done the trick – the Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of flowers! 
Picture
The backbreaking work behind all those magnificent flowers. Thanks, guys!
I came away from my stroll through Keukenhof Gardens humbled at how adept the flowers were at making the most of the moment, particularly given those moments often added up to just days; and yes, I followed their lead and let myself go.  I was blooming mad with joy throughout my visit.  
Picture
Thanks for capturing this joyful moment, Joan.
And sooooo thankful for this colorful palette of unparalleled springtime beauty and the promise of hope reiterated 7 million times over. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Joan
5/12/2015 08:57:08 am

Beautiful!

Sherry
5/12/2015 11:45:57 am

We were fortunate to have a beautiful day, too!

Joan
5/12/2015 01:03:01 pm

It was a perfect day. As usual, you captured the wonders of the gardens, Sherry.


Comments are closed.

    About

    I'm searching for more meaning, magic and mystery in life through travel.  If you're searching for more info about me click on this link.   

    Categories

    All
    Attractions
    Botanic Gardens
    Cities
    Cruises
    Culture
    Europe
    Food
    Fun Foto Friday
    How You Venn?
    Islands
    Lake Geneva
    Life's Mysteries
    Middle East
    Museums/Memorials
    National Historic Landmark
    North America
    Nothing To Do With Travel
    Parks/zoos
    Photos
    Random Thoughts
    Restaurants
    This Thing Called Travel
    Top Ten
    Tuesday Travelista
    UNESCO World Heritage Site
    Who Knew?
    Zen Travel Moment

    View travelbug's photos on Trover

    Blog Roll

    This Is Indexed
    NatGeo Travel
    Science Dump
    Traveler Writers Exchange
    Matador 
    Brain Pickings
    House By the Sea
    Time Goes By
    The Happiness Project
    Dictionary of Obscure 
       Sorrows

    For Automatic Blog Updates
    in same time click the RSS Feed button below and sign up for email notices or click the Like button below for automatic updates to your Facebook page. 

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly