Victoria's Voyage

I could not have picked a better day for my visit to Keukenhof Gardens. Slouching around Amsterdam on Thursday in the endless, pouring rain, I’ll admit it was hard to stay positive at all times. But yesterday? Blue skies, sun, and even a chance to remove my coat!

Keukenhof is a sprawling manicured garden filled to the brim with all manner of spring blooms, their most popular – the tulip – in abundance. I caught the shuttle bus from the city that would bring me to the gardens, passing tulip field after tulip field along the way. Pulling into the coach park, I was a little concerned about the sheer volume of people and vehicles around me, but whilst it was busy, there is thankfully plenty of space to spread out.

I wandered for hours, took far too many photos and even settled down at one point to read a couple of chapters of my book, floral notes and whiffs of freshly mown grass dancing on the breeze. After some time though, sadly, I decided I should probably call it a day. It was very beautiful and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go there after deciding this was a far easier option than making my own way out to the wild fields. I would recommend a visit for sure.

Back in the city, a good rest was needed, and I found this respite in a little Irish pub where I sipped a cold drink and nibbled on a snack of cocktail sausages. I hadn’t realised quite how exhausted I was until I stopped. It was still early, but I didn’t force anything. Instead, I retired to my hostel for a while before finally heading back out- refreshed – for my final evening, the night before the national festival of King’s Day. You could tell too. The city was suddenly a lot busier.

Looking back over the past few days, it’s actually quite amazing how much I’ve managed to cram in, really making the most of my short time here in the city. I’m going to miss it for sure, but all good things must come to an end eventually, and all I can do now is look on to the next adventure.