In early May with the luck of the Irish on our side we found ourselves in Amsterdam for a few days.  As we arrived in Holland we quickly learned that the prime season to visit Keukenhof ends in late May.  So we took a 45 min taxi ride to the gardens.  There are many ways to get there but we found that taking a taxi was by the simplest method.   We were also able to purchase entrance tickets directly through our hotel concierge.

Keukenhof means the “kitchen garden” in Dutch and was started in the 15th Century.  Countess Jacqueline of Bavaria gathered fruit and vegtables from the woods and dunes for her kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Subsequently, Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641, and the estate grew to an area of over 200 hectares.

Keukenhof is used as a showcase for the Dutch floricultural sector, with 7 million spring-flowering bulbs displayed. It only lasts about 8 weeks in April/May of each year.

It is just a lovely place to walk, breathe, admire beauty and forget the headaches of life.  Here are a small number of the pictures I took.