It’s been a while hasn’t it? I told you guys I’d be going on vacation! It’s been a a little over a month since then but I needed time to recover because I ended up with Ms. Rona… I’m doing better now and I’m prepared to share about our trip to the Asten Castle in Asten, Netherlands. Visiting the Asten Castle was one of the few things I got to do before I got sick. It was a beautiful and…
On the edge of the Amsterdamse Bos sits a circle of beautiful cherry blossoms. 400 of these elegant trees were a gift from Japan to Amstelveen in 2000. Of course Sander and I kept missing our time to go so we decided to use the sunny weather to head outside. I know we’re supposed to be in quarantine… But Sander and I could not resist the outdoors on Saturday. We’ve been in the house for so long and it was…
We’ve been to a few conventions in the past and we’ve always had a good time. This year we wanted to revisit Tomofair. It’s been a few years since we last went, simply because we kept forgetting to buy tickets. Tomofair is always in early January so it slips under our radar all the time. It’s a small even so there’s not too much to do at Tomofair. There’s the huge gaming hall where people can play Dance Dance Revolution…
Ah yes. The Dutch celebrate Christmas in a huge way. And nothing screams Christmas more than a Christmas Market. We’ve been to Christmas Markets before but this was our first time in Beeckestijn. This year’s location was something unique. Beeckestijn was an outdoor square in the 15th and 16th centuries. Later it expanded into a garden area as well. It’s currently listed as a Dutch monument. It’s also the place where Sander’s parents were wed! How wonderful is that? The…
Once a year there’s a Japanese Market in the heart of Leiden. It’s held in front of the SeiboldHuis Museum. The Seibold house is the home of Dutchman Philipp Franz von Siebold. He was an avid collector of Japanese flora and fauna. After living in Japan for years, he brought back his findings and put them on display in his home. Years later, this location has become a popular attracting that showcases his work. To this day, it houses items…
The Willem – Alexander Pavilion is one of three “flower buildings” located in the Keukenhof and holds the name of the current Dutch King. Rows and rows of different types of flowers are displayed here but the most popular type of flower is the tulip. The Dutch are most known for their tulips so there’s no surprise there. The flower was popular in the mid-seventeenth century and even created “Tulip Mania.” From there it seems the crazy never left The…
The Beatrix Pavilion is one of three “flower buildings” that are located in the Keukenhof. This year it follows the same theme was the Oranje Nassau Pavilion. The Flower Power Movement again embraced with beautiful and extravagant orchid displays. See the thing about the Beatrix Pavilion is it always features orchids. I know the Dutch are well known for their tulips but for some reason, orchids are also very popular. So again we pushed past the Instagrammers and casual strollers…
The Oranje Nassau Pavilion is one of three “flower buildings” that are located in the Keukenhof. This year’s theme was the Flower Power Movement of the 1960s. It was a time of counterculture that allowed people to express themselves in a personal and powerful way. Of course now there’s a lot to be frowned on but let’s be real here… When has there ever been a perfect decade? What’s beautiful about the humans experience is that nothing is perfect. And…
It’s no secret that I love visiting the Keukenhof. I don’t mind braving the crowded spaces if I can a chance to look at beautiful flowers. And it’s true, The Netherlands has beautiful flowers everywhere you look. But there’s something about the Keukenhof that I can’t put a finger on. I love the history behind the space as well. The Keukenhof is one of the largest flower gardens in the world. It’s close to where we live, in the middle of…