Whilst in Amsterdam, I had a couple different half day trips planned. Keukenhof Gardens, Delft, and The Hague were all on my list of places I wanted to visit during our stay. We were on the train as it passed through The Hague so we decided not to visit. Maybe another time I’ll visit The Hague.
Delft
We began our day by boarding the wrong train from Amsterdam’s Central Station. It passed through Delft’s train station without stopping so we had to get off at Rotterdam and find our way back to Delft.
Delft is a city located between The Hague and Rotterdam and is similar in feel and look to Amsterdam but on a smaller, quieter scale. From the Delft’s train station to the city’s centre was about a 15 minute walk and what a walk! It was great weather to walk along a couple of Delft’s canals and peek into some of buildings along the way.
Delft Canal
Delft Canal & Flea Market
I knew very little about Delft before our visit. Delft is known for its pottery and its use of blue and white. Delft’s pottery and ceramics are commonly known as Delftware. Plus, it was on a top 100 places to visit list. I hadn’t thought of visiting until a colleague strongly suggested that I go if I had the time. He loved the city and what it offered so I put it on my list to do.
Delft Canal
The town square was so nice to sit in and have a coffee break. Along a neighbouring street to town square, there was a flea market with stalls selling books, trinkets, antiques, and other items. There must have been some festival planned for that day as well since the town square had tents set up and some music playing through loud speakers. We walked around, looking in stores, taking pictures, looking the old church and couple other buildings before we headed back to the train station. Like Amsterdam, Delft was complete with its share of canals.
Keukenhof Gardens Entrance
Walk through the Keukenhof Gardens
After spending half the day in Delft, we headed back to the train station to head over to the Keukenhof Gardens. I had purposely chosen the Saturday of our Amsterdam weekend to visit the gardens since I had read there would be a choir singing.
Tulips
Keukenhof Gardens Pond
The gardens sit on 32-hectares of land featuring spring flowers such as tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. It was a gorgeous day to spend walking around and taking pictures. There were lots and lots of tulips in a variety of colours outdoors and different pavilions featuring flower arrangements scattered throughout the gardens. We had a wonderful time walking through the gardens, resting along the way, from one end to the other. It was also nice to watch the choir sing both Dutch and English songs.
Tulips
