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Every spring, Holland is transformed into a veritable sea of flowers and colours.
The many colorful tulip fields are a spectacular sight and well worth a visit. This year we were finally able to fulfill this wish after two years of pandemic isolation.
Before that, however, there was a detour to the famous, picturesque Catharina Hoeve cheese factory in Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam, a residential and artisan district from 1850.
With the authentic wooden houses and the beautiful mills, this area gives the impression of an open-air museum, even if normal people live and work there.
At Zaanse Schans, cheese making is an old Dutch craft, as is woodworking, clog making, pewter casting and liquor distilling.
The diverse windmills in Zaanse Schans also represent a unique piece of Dutch history on the Zaan River.
The blades of the windmills can be seen turning slowly from afar, with extensive meadows spreading out in the background.
And then there is also the typical architectural style of the Zaan region to admire.
The characteristic green wooden houses are beautifully preserved.
After that, nothing stood in the way of a detour to visit the tulip blossoms, which originally come from the mountains of Kazakhstan.
A visit to the largest flower park in the world, the Keukenhof near Lisse in the province of South Holland, proves to be a truly unforgettable experience for all flower lovers.
However, since the tourist rush was enormous this year, we were unfortunately too late with the reservation of tickets, which can only be purchased online.
Since Flevoland is one of the largest tulip areas in the Netherlands, we continued our discovery tour north to Zeewolde and Noordoostpolder.
For two days we encountered many colorful tulip fields, we were able to immortalize countless shots. In particular, the subdued light during sunset gave this colorful scenery a very special touch.
What many visitors don't know is that it's mostly about the bulbs and not so much about the flowers. After flowering, the fields are mown immediately so that the power of the plants can concentrate mainly on the bulb. The resulting large, strong bulbs are dug up in summer, dried and shipped all over the world.
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, was on the schedule for the last day.
It is known for its artistic heritage, extensive canal system and narrow gabled houses that date back to the city's so-called Golden Age in the 17th century. For anyone visiting Amsterdam for the first time, at least a 1-hour canal cruise is a must. There we learned about the eventful history of Amsterdam, its historic waterways and many other highlights.
