Gardens and The Arts in The Netherlands
Five CFUW members (Barbara Pipher, Janet Simpson, Janet MacDonald, Mary Miller, and Sue Thoms) went to Holland from April 17 to 26, our purpose being to see the masses of flowering spring bulbs growing throughout Holland. We were certainly not disappointed! The Keukenhof Gardens were absolutely outstanding and from the train rides we took, we witnessed acres and acres of farm fields filled with all kinds of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Even the weather cooperated by sending us warm sunshine and no rain.
Our downtown Amsterdam hotel gave us easy access to the Central Train Station as well as restaurants and shops. As a group, we also visited the traditional fishing villages of Volendam & Marken, the historic towns of Haarlem and Delft…for the pottery of course, and the Rijksmuseum to see some of the old masters paintings. One could throw in two canal cruises, a windmill tour, a cheese factory tour, a wooden shoe factory tour, a concert and a ferris wheel ride to round out the activites. Some ladies went to see Anne Frank’s home and some went to Rembrandt’s home. Janet Simpson went on a successful adventure to northern Holland to find the gravesite of her uncle that was shot down in WWII.