Keukenhof visit

As per my previous post I have been planning to go to the Keukenhoff at some point. This was something I have really been looking forward to since I moved here permanently. Even though I'd been to the Netherlands half a dozen times as a tourist (and probably another dozen for work) I'd never been to these amazing gardens.
The day started grey and that may have put off a few people from going but I had arranged to go with friends so went anyway. It actually turned out to be quite sunny later in the afternoon and you can see that from the pictures. One thing you can imagine is that, being flowers, this is all very weather dependant. Usually the best time is mid April but I've heard that years with long winters had NO FLOWERS by this time so try to check they are in bloom before setting yourself to go.
It is very easy to go from Amsterdam. We went to Schiphol and then got on a "special" bus that just goes to the gardens and takes about half an hour. The gardens are open from 8am till 7pm and given the sun doesn't set till 9 you have plenty of time to see it. It only takes a couple of hours to walk around it but of course you want to take pictures, enjoy the sun and smell of the flowers, check the maze, etc... so give yourself about 4h to really enjoy it.
It is gorgeous and I think we were lucky not many people were there so there were no queues for buses or anything at all. I loved it. The flowers, the colors, the smell! The hyacinths send a lovely perfume you just can't miss when you walk nearby...  It's pricey but definitely worth doing if you are around this time of year.