Keukenhof

Mum and I left G to tackle Amsterdam on his own for the day whilst we took a bus tour to a tulip farm, and Keukenhof Gardens. It was such a brilliant day; the guide we had was so lovely and really made the tour special- she was constantly pointing out interesting facts and sights along the journey and really made everyone feel very welcome. The weather was a bit iffy all morning, and just as we were in the middle of a field in the bulb farm, the clouds parted and a torrential hailstorm tipped down. We had to sprint inside for cover, which was such a shame as we didn't get much time out amongst the flowers. After the storm, the weather cleared up and we drove on to Keukenhof for a few hours wandering round the gardens (and drying out / warming up). The gardens are only open for a couple of months each year whilst the tulips are in bloom. After May, the gates close and they start planting again for next year. We had such a lovely time seeing all the different varieties of tulips, it was a really memorable day.

When we got back to town, we met G at the hotel and went out to the Anne Frank House. I had been before, but it was just as effecting. It's really so sympathetically done, and we took our time trying to comprehend that this was the actual place where it all happened. When we left, we went round the corner for dinner and talked about the wars, and how it's all such recent history. A post-dinner stroll led us to Amsterdam's oldest bar; Café Chris. It was an incredible old, small pub, with wood and tankards everywhere. The customers are still allowed to smoke inside, which was totally bizarre in these days of the smoking ban. We all really enjoyed the atmosphere in there though and they even did a shandy for Mum!