march-2011

WORDS AMY BAKER
Blooming Lovely
AMSTERDAM
Slowly but surely, spring is
shaking off winter’s grey
skies and early morning
frost, and nowhere is
the change of season
more spectacular than
Keukenhof in Lisse. Just
35km from Amsterdam,
the 32-hectare garden is
packed with some seven
million fl owers from March
until May each year, and on
this grassy stage there’s
one clear star of the show:
the tulip. In fact, tulips
make up more than half
of the fl owers on display,
with 100 diff erent varieties
lovingly planted in intricate
patterns and hundreds of
diff erent shades. It’s
a unique spectacle that
has attracted more than
44 million visitors since
it opened in 1949.
Each year Keukenhof
celebrates a diff erent
theme, and this year
the chosen topic is
Germany, Land of Poets
and Philosophers. The
centrepiece will be
a glorious, 23m-long
fl ower mosaic of Berlin’s
Brandenburg Gate, created
with 100,000 bulbs. The
mosaic was planted in
early October and will
reveal itself when the
park opens at the end
of this month.
Keukenhof is
consistently voted one
of the top attractions in
Europe, and it’s as devoted
to its fl owers as ever. Yes,
there are tulip-shaped
lollipops and other assorted
kitsch, but if you climb the
windmill at the centre of the
garden you’ll be genuinely
taken aback by the layers
of sensational colours. If
you get the chance, time
your trip for 16 April when
the famous Flower Parade
winds a 40km route north
from Noordwijk to Haarlem,
passing through Keukenhof
in the afternoon.
From 24 March–20 May;
keukenhof.nl
THE BUZZ | TRAVEL NEWS
CALENDAR
THIS MONTH
3–13 MAR
Geneva International
Motor Show
GENEVA
This is the most popular car show
in Europe, with more than 700,000
visitors fl ooding through the doors of
the Geneva-Palexpo each year. Join
them to have a sneak peek at the
motoring world’s latest models and
accessories. salon-auto.ch/en
3–9 MAR
Cologne Carnival
COLOGNE
Each March the residents of Cologne
put on their craziest costumes and
welcome visitors to party at one of
Europe’s biggest street festivals. The
city buzzes with parades and dancing
for a whole week, all lubricated with
strong local beer. koelnerkarneval1.de
7–21 MAR
Le Printemps
des Poètes
PARIS
The French capital welcomes in the new
season with this annual celebration
of poetry. Schools, cafés, museums
and other venues throughout the city
play host to debates, exhibitions and
competitions dedicated to all things
poetic. printempsdespoetes.com
MARCH 11 | TRAVELLER | 17