Keukenhof

It has been a very fun last few days because Julie (my cousin) and Trevor (her husband) came for a visit from Cairo, Egypt and met Ronan for the first time. Ronan found Trevor particularly entertaining and seemed to appreciate how quickly Julie recognized his love for culinary arts. We spent the week walking around Amsterdam, hanging in Vondelpark, taste testing food, visiting the Van Gogh museum and sharing in the ups and downs of the Leafs in the playoffs. 

Yesterday, we rented a car and followed the Netherlands Flower route, as mapped out in National Geographic’s “Drives of a Lifetime” series. We started in Harlem and stopped there for a coffee and then went to Lisse to see fields of tulips.

In Lisse, we stopped at Keukenhof Garden which, “Bills itself as nothing less than the most beautiful spring garden in the world, designed to showcase the art of Dutch bulb growers.” Admission to this amusement park of flowers cost 15 euros each and we somewhat reluctantly decided to go in. As I walked through the front gates, I immediately regretted it: Busy. Screaming children. Weird accordion music. Restroom and sausage lineups. Just as I was about to head back to the car, Julie passed me a waffle and Trevor passed me a Heineken. These two items quickly turned it into the best amusement park ever. We spent the afternoon in there walking around, climbing windmills and racing each other through a giant garden maze (Francisco got really, really lost).

Francisco???

                                 

Afterwards, we drove through Den Haag and stopped in Leiden, a small university town for a late lunch. We found a really neat little cafe in Van der Werf Park and looked at the menu. I couldn’t decide between the chicken club or a hamburger, so I asked our waitress which she would recommend. She said, “Definitely the hamburger.” I was sold by her enthusiasm and it was everything I imagined it would be (not!): a deep fried curry burger in between 2 slices of white Wonder Bread. I don’t think I’ve eaten like that since I was a university student myself (I have to admit, It was pretty delicious).  

Speaking of food, Francisco and I have found ourselves in quite the predicament. We have been invited to a picnic tonight, and are slightly unclear as to whether we are supposed to bring dinner for ourselves or something for a potluck. We’re thinking about bringing sausages because here, when paired with cheese, they seem to solve all problems.