Fresh and well-rested (Heh. Heh.) off the night train, I stepped into the sunshine in front of the Haarlem train station. It was noticably warmer here than it was in Copengahen, and all of the trees seemes to be in bloom. It felt like The Netherlands was greeting me with a warm springtime hug.
I walked through the sleepy town of Haarlem, a small city just 20 minutes from busy Amsterdam, and made my way to the next hostel. Everything here seemed so quiet. A few locals were out on their bikes, riding across town, but there weren't many people around, and everything was very quaint. Above me, a large church rose above the pretty Dutch houses along the canal.
I rented a bike in the city center and rode out of town. My destination was Keukenhof, a very famous flower garden that attracts visitors from around the world, but only during the eight weeks of the year that it's open. On the way to Keukenhof, I pedaled along a canal and suburban houses, but the developed land eventually opened into massive tulip fields, all in bloom. The flowers seemed to change the green earth into a rainbow carpet of blue, white, red, and yellow. The flat land and flower fields expanded for miles. The blooming flowers were a welcome sight, especially since both Connecticut and Denmark were still wearing their drab winter colors. Spring, it seemed, had finally arrived. As I rode closer to the flower garden, there were campers parked alongside the road, presumably belonging to Keukenhof visitors. Their license plates were from across Europe - France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium.
After a relaxing lunch stop on a cafe patio in Lisse, the town in which Keukenhof is located, I parked my bike with the hundreds of others in front of the flower garden. Keukenhof was worth the hype. The flowers radiated across the huge garden. I'm not someone who's innately interested in flowers, but even I appreciated the beauty of the garden, even as it waged war with my allergies.
I pedaled into Haarlem at around 5:30. I returned my bike and grabbed dinner, turning into the hostel rather early. The next day, my parents were flying into Amsterdam. Their plane landed early. The next morning, I was off to Amsterdam.
I walked through the sleepy town of Haarlem, a small city just 20 minutes from busy Amsterdam, and made my way to the next hostel. Everything here seemed so quiet. A few locals were out on their bikes, riding across town, but there weren't many people around, and everything was very quaint. Above me, a large church rose above the pretty Dutch houses along the canal.
I rented a bike in the city center and rode out of town. My destination was Keukenhof, a very famous flower garden that attracts visitors from around the world, but only during the eight weeks of the year that it's open. On the way to Keukenhof, I pedaled along a canal and suburban houses, but the developed land eventually opened into massive tulip fields, all in bloom. The flowers seemed to change the green earth into a rainbow carpet of blue, white, red, and yellow. The flat land and flower fields expanded for miles. The blooming flowers were a welcome sight, especially since both Connecticut and Denmark were still wearing their drab winter colors. Spring, it seemed, had finally arrived. As I rode closer to the flower garden, there were campers parked alongside the road, presumably belonging to Keukenhof visitors. Their license plates were from across Europe - France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium.
After a relaxing lunch stop on a cafe patio in Lisse, the town in which Keukenhof is located, I parked my bike with the hundreds of others in front of the flower garden. Keukenhof was worth the hype. The flowers radiated across the huge garden. I'm not someone who's innately interested in flowers, but even I appreciated the beauty of the garden, even as it waged war with my allergies.
I pedaled into Haarlem at around 5:30. I returned my bike and grabbed dinner, turning into the hostel rather early. The next day, my parents were flying into Amsterdam. Their plane landed early. The next morning, I was off to Amsterdam.
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