Keukenhof

I remember watching a show of Toot & Puddle on Nickelodeon sometime back where they go to Amsterdam and one of their friends back home asks them to bring back a picture of tulips. They search high and low but end up not finding a single tulip. In the end they take a picture in front of a picture of a tulip field. Since then I've been wanting to visit Netherlands for seeing fields of tulips. Unfortunately, just like Toot & Puddle, we too were too early for the season and missed the tulip fields but were lucky to see them in the Keukenhof Gardens!

 The Keukenhof gardens are located in the bulb region of Netherlands - about an hour from Amsterdam. This is a garden that is carefully planned, planted and groomed. Right outside the Keukenhof Gardens are the flower fields. If you are lucky to catch them in season (April - May), you're in for a visual treat!

This area of Holland is the flower capital of the world. They are the largest supplier of fresh flowers in the world. There are flower auctions every morning in nearby Aalsmeer and needless to say, the freshest ones are bid for huge amounts.

 

The garden is huge! There are tulips of every imaginable color, each one with their own name, a small petting farm, lake, fountains, cafes and different kinds of flower shows. It would take an entire day.

The Flume Gorge - New Hampshire

The Flume Gorge is located in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire and is a popular spot during the fall. This is part of the Franconia Notch State Park. The Flume is a natural deep gorge between two mountains. There are two walking trails. Of course, we did the easier one. It still had stairs and some steep paths and took us through the gorge and a beautiful water fall.

You can either ride the bus from the visitor center to the base of the trail or walk. If we walk, we get to see a New Hampshire covered bridge over the Pemigewasset river

Other interesting spots in the White mountains are the summit of Mt. Cannon and the Kancagamagus scenic highway. Of course, the best time to visit would be the fall season. The trick to getting the best fall colors is to visit not too early and not too late. Keep checking foliagenetwork.com and visit between high and peak colors, which is usually during the Columbus Day weekend.