The ship docked at 08:00 and we were soon on our way to Noordwijk aan Zee which is only around 33 miles but the route passes through Den Haag and a number of other heavily populated areas. The traffic was not light but we made slow but steady progress and soon had arrived at our hotel in Noordwijk. We quickly realised that the flower season is now a huge tourist attraction and Noordwijk was packed. Being a very popular summer seaside resort it has lots of hotels whilst the smaller towns closer to the bulb fields have very few. This must have become a major money earner for Noordwijk.
We parked the car in the hotel garage and set off on our first cycle ride. The LLW had a very early complaint as we cycled along a beautiful track through the Dunes. Apparently she had been promised tulip fields and none were visible for the first 30 minutes or so. An International incident was avoided shortly after we turned inland and encountered numerous of said bulb fields and luckily they were everywhere during the net few days.
The ride took us to The Keukenhof garden, the outskirts of Lisse and through some lovely typically dutch countryside back to Noordwijk. 18 miles in total and the LLW was very pleased with herself.
Now I know that many of our readers have expressed concern about the LLW getting her quota of Dutch Apple Pies (with cream) but I can assure you that she is made of stern stuff and has a built in SatNav which can locate said apple pies within a 10 mile radius. A disused railway station a mile from Keukenhof has been converted into a cafe and had a plentiful supply of this Dutch delicacy. The LLW was very happy; phew!
From the flower perspective, we have come at just the right time. Lots of daffodils still out, tulips opening up almost as we watched and the added bonus of fabulous hyacinths. The perfume was quite amazing and along with the views never to be forgotten. Cycling is a brilliant way to see the bulb fields and we were not alone in recognising that.
We parked the car in the hotel garage and set off on our first cycle ride. The LLW had a very early complaint as we cycled along a beautiful track through the Dunes. Apparently she had been promised tulip fields and none were visible for the first 30 minutes or so. An International incident was avoided shortly after we turned inland and encountered numerous of said bulb fields and luckily they were everywhere during the net few days.
The ride took us to The Keukenhof garden, the outskirts of Lisse and through some lovely typically dutch countryside back to Noordwijk. 18 miles in total and the LLW was very pleased with herself.
Now I know that many of our readers have expressed concern about the LLW getting her quota of Dutch Apple Pies (with cream) but I can assure you that she is made of stern stuff and has a built in SatNav which can locate said apple pies within a 10 mile radius. A disused railway station a mile from Keukenhof has been converted into a cafe and had a plentiful supply of this Dutch delicacy. The LLW was very happy; phew!
From the flower perspective, we have come at just the right time. Lots of daffodils still out, tulips opening up almost as we watched and the added bonus of fabulous hyacinths. The perfume was quite amazing and along with the views never to be forgotten. Cycling is a brilliant way to see the bulb fields and we were not alone in recognising that.
It had been a very hot day, around 26C and our only concern was sunburn and the lack of shade. However all was fine and we avoided too much exposure and after a rest at the hotel we had an excellent Indian meal at Sunand Anglo-Indian Restaurant, one of the very local restaurants. The best Indian meal for some time!
At the restaurant we had a table by the window and were entertained by the comings and goings at a shop opposite. Whilst at the restaurant dozens of ladies arrived at the shop, all on bicycles, and seemed to be having a whale of a time inside. As we left we discovered that there was a fashion show taking place which was clearly very popular with the locals.
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