AROUND THE CENTRAL STATION IN AMSTERDAM

I had to go to Amsterdam for babysitting purposes. On my way back I left my son's house early with the intention to stroll a little bit through Amsterdam. Unfortunately it was very cold and very windy and I was almost blown away.

Therefore I only took a few pictures of what you see when you arrive in Amsterdam Central station and took the next train back to Brussels.





The central station



and some beautiful details



You have to cross this bridge to get into the center



Sightseeing boats are waiting for you to drive you through the canals



Despite the cold and windy weather there were already quiet a lot of tourists waiting



Besides the sightseeing boats there are also all kind of other boats



Buildings along the canal



and the other side





Getting into the center

Before you move around I suggest to increase your life insurance ! There are thousands of cyclists who cycle around paying no attention to whatever, either cars or pedestrians, who just have to hop aside.



bicycles,



bicycles











and more bicycles

I survived and catched my train !

KEUKENHOF - Holland

When I went to Amsterdam last week, my son took me to the Keukenhof  which means "Kitchen garden", and which is also known as the "Garden of Europe". It is the world's largest flower garden situated near Lisse, Netherlands. According to the official Keukenhof website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately 7,000,000 (seven million) flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares.

Unfortunately the high season which is in mid April when all the tulip fields are blooming was over but still the park is absolutely stunning.



The entrance









and everywhere colorful flowers of all kinds.





If you go up inside the windmill which dates from 1892 you have a wonderful view over the tulip fields.



I could take this picture, there were still some tulips blooming. In high season it looks like this picture below.



which I found on Internet.

On the other side of the windmill you see the park



there is a little zoo with mini pigs, goats and there also was a little calf. Much to the fun for children and also adults.



Here you could buy flower bulbs



A Chopin statue, sculptured in wood




nicely decorated "rooms" of course not to sit in there.





Instead you could picnic on this original seats and table.



These chairs were made out of glass and bark.

As there was not much to see on the tulip fields we visited the Lily Exhibition in the Willem Alexander Pavillon, which is the highlight of the series of Flower Exhibition.
 






Even grandson Toby appreciated the colorful flowers and even more the fountains.




It is the largest exhibition of its kind in the world. Introduced more than 30 years ago, the Lily Exhibition was also Keukenhofs first flower exhibition ever. Today, the exhibition spans some 6000 m2 and includes over 300 different varieties of lilies in hundreds of breathtaking arrangements









as you can see here



Even for modern tastes



I loved this flower "pot" especially would look very nice in our front yard.

HUIZINGEN DOMAIN NEAR BRUSSELS

The first of May is a holiday in Belgium. It was quiet cool, but the sun was shining and together with a friend we went to the Domain of Huizing close to Brussels. (I wrote about it in 2009 here)



The map, as you can see you can easily spend the whole day here.




Today the castle is a restaurant/café





You can rent a boat ...









or just walk around and enjoy the flowers trees and plants




There is also a little river








this girl walked her cat



for the little once there is a zoo with small animals like chicken, geese, goats, rabbits etc ...










and very original playground, with dragons and other creatures sculptured in old tree trunks which had been recuperated from the park



a little farer from the playground is another smaller restaurant/café for hungry and thirsty people