Keukenhof

 I was well into our travels when it occurred to me that we may be in Holland during the Keukenhof Gardens. I looked on line and was thrilled when I realized that we would arrive in the land of tulips just in time! Keukenhof is the world's largest flower garden, with over seven million bulbs planted each year! We spent an afternoon wandering the quiet paths, picking out our favorite tulips, just to find another favorite around every corner.

 Interspersed throughout the gardens are spots for children to play. Wooden lily pads provide an adventure for little ones, allowing them to jump from one pad to the next. Roz told me of a time that her son, Asher, missed the pad and landed right into the water. She fished him out of the pond and was stuck with a very wet child for the remainder of the day, but also a good story. I admonished the kids to watch their step!

 We ended the day discovering poffertjes in a charming little shop nestled in one of the gardens. They are the dutch equivalent of ebelskeivers, topped with strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup. Fortunately for us, the shop was closing, so the kindly woman behind the counter finished off her batter and offered us an additional heaping serving!

We stayed in the gardens until they closed for the evening, but decided that we hadn't had enough tulips for one visit. We headed towards the sea, with sweeping views of the tulip fields along the way. Thus far, Holland was as magical as could be.