Herbs, Tea, Rocks and Dirt: Tulips in the Netherlands

Road Scholar Bountiful Holland: Tulips & Gardens by Riverboat

Day 1: Tuesday, April 7, In Transit

EWR - AMS Flight United 70, the 5:45PM flight was delayed (2 hours and 45 minutes), we were wheels off at 8:30PM on another plane. There was an issue with the nose gear door and Boeing did not have a quick solution. We only arrived 1 hour and 10 minutes late at 8:25AM, using up jet fuel on the trip.

Day 2: Wednesday April 8, Haarlem

Arrived to Schiphol* airport and had a long bus ride from the plane which was parked way out on the tarmac, followed by an hour long wait at customs. On the plus side, our room at the Carlton Square Hotel was ready. We went on a 1:45PM walking tour of Haarlem (photos below) and had a 4PM orientation meeting with our Green Group leader Saskia. Dinner was at the hotel.

*The airport is located on reclaimed land which was once part of the sea and had many sea battles and lots of sunken ships, so it was called Ship Hell or Schiphol .

Day 3: Thursday, April 9, Haarlem

Following breakfast at the hotel, there was an hour long lecture by a family member of the WAM Penning tulip growers. We checked out of the hotel and boarded 3 separate buses by color group (blue, green and yellow) leaving at 10:30AM to Keukenhoff Gardens. We has a basic tour by our guide and then went out on our own. There was a 3PM departure to the ship moored in Haarlem, we arrived and boarded around 4PM.

Our cabin was 105, very tight

Day 4: Friday, April 10, In Transit

After breakfast we had an 8AM coach to AMS for a boat tour and a walking tour. I barely made the bus ride and boat tour without disaster and couldn't make the walking tour. Spent the time sitting in a cafe in the back of the main Amsterdam train station. We had an 11:30AM coach for the return to boat. Remainder of the day was spent cruising to Gouda, I spend the remainder of the day on the bed watching the world go by.

Day 5: Saturday April 11, Gouda

We had a walking tour in the morning and lunch at restaurant Swing in the market square At 2:30PM there was a cheese and beer tasting at the Weighing House, where cheese used to be verified prior to sale at the market. We went on the Kamphuisen Siroopwafelfabriek AKA Syrup Waffle Factory tour after lunch and some walking around. Brief rain shower on the way back to the boat.

Medieval Hospital, now a museum

Ferry across the Hollandsche IJssel river

Day 6: Sunday, April 12, In Transit

In the morning we had a tour of the Kinderdiijk (a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Netherlands), 19 windmills, used to pump water. We visited on that was operating at the time. The boat was parked nearby.

water wheel visible through door

Crap short afternoon Rotterdam walking tour, technical difficulties and crap local tour guide. Rotterdam was bombed in WW II so much of the old architecture was replaced. Then back to the boat for the return journey overnight to Amsterdam.

The Cube Homes

Day 7: Monday, April 13, Amsterdam

This day after breakfast on board the boat, the 3 groups went on their separate ways seeing different things in different orders.

First was the Royal Flora Holland, Flower Auction, 90 minutes from sale to off the premises.

Next we had a tour of the bulb fields by Tom of J.G.J. Hulsebosch en Zn. Beeklaan 17. He gave us a guided tour covering the whole process of growing bulbs for sale and talked a bit about his work in China for the family. They grew tulip, hyacinth and daffodils bulbs, he described how they propagate hyacinth bulbs and that is now on my list of things to do.

Kerkhof De Zilk

We visited a greenhouse museum, they propagated so many Lilacs along with lots of other plants. They move stuff around using the small prams in the canals that surreound the greenhouses and gardens.

Last visit was to Arcadia Chrysanten De Kwakel a highly automated cut mum greenhouse. We grew cut mums using the fencing raised as the plants grew, but without the automation. The cuttings are placed onto the beds using a machine, the fencing and watering pipes are raised with motors and there was a battery powered machine that cut the mums. The workers pulled up the mums and put them on the conveyor belt in groups of 5. Later the mums were trimmed to length, excess leaves removed and packaged into groups of 10, this is how all the cut flowers are sold.

Lunch was midday at Restaurant Gasterji de Kwakel, soup, sandwiches and croquettes.

The hotel room (Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam) was quite spacious with room for a pony and was in a great location. Our room on the 7th floor looked out to the Main Train Station.

Day 8: Tuesday, April 14, Amsterdam

This morning we were in group B for our visit to the Cut tulip greenhouse, Pronk Tulpin at Julianastraat 21c, Avenhorn. Highly automated, tulips grown in water, on moving benches. Workers pulled the ready tulips stem, bulb and root and put them on a conveyor belt. Later a machine trimmed off the bulb and packed up the tulips into bunches of 10.

Lunch was nearby at Restaurant 1612. Named to commemorate the draining of the local area for farming and living.

We returned to Amsterdam and walked around in the afternoon.

Day 9: Wednesday, April 15, Amsterdam

Initially we though there was a 2 hour talk prior to going to the museum, but it was a 1 hour talk which was very good. We all took a tram to Rijks museum and afterwards we walked about. floating flower market

The architect of the museum wanted it to be like a church for the arts.