Keukenhof, Holland

I just finished a 3-day trip in Amsterdam and Keukenhof is one of my favourite stops.  I am a big fan of flower festivals. Keukenhof is known as the Garden of Europe, it is one of the world’s largest flower gardens.  It is a paradise of flowers. It is always held in March to May every year.  Now it is the best time to see tulips in the Netherlands in full bloom.  There are more than 7 million bulbs in bloom this spring, with a total of 1,000 varieties of tulips.

The park is amazing.  Everywhere you look there are tulips and flowers of all kinds of colors and shapes. The blooms of tulips, hyacinth and daffodils were in full peak. This was a trip well worth for every penny. There are queues everywhere inside the park, like queues for boat trip, toilets, food and drinks, windmills and so on. 

It is easy to go there by both cars and by train and bus. I bought a combi-ticket on line, the ticket includes the entrance fee and bus fares from airport to Keukenhof.  I traveled comfortably to Keukenhof.  The bus driver dropped people off by the entrance and I can just walk straight into the park.  The park is open from 0800-1930.  I completely enjoyed a whole day there.  It is a must-see attraction if you travel the Netherlands in March to May. 

庫肯霍夫公園 (荷蘭 Keukenhof)

上星期五我們一家暢遊庫肯霍夫公園，每年三至五月是一年一度的鬱金香花展，非常值得花一整天到此一遊。庫肯霍夫在荷蘭文的原義是「廚房花園」。15世紀時，庫肯霍夫（Keukenhof）這個地方原本是一位女伯爵Countess Jacoba van Beieren的狩獵領地，當時女伯爵在後院種植了蔬果草藥等烹調食用的植物，因此而名為Keukenhof。

每年9月底至初霜來臨之前，庫肯霍夫公園會種下7百萬顆不同花種的球莖，其中鬱金香就有約1,000多種，在花農的細心照料下，隔年春天一片片花海，數百萬花朵百花齊放，交錯綻放，爭妍鬥豔的壯觀美景。

由機場乘搭巴士858只需20分鐘直達公園門口，非常方便。為著爭取時參觀，我們前一天已在網上訂購巴士+入場費套票，這方法購票較為戈算和省下排隊買票的時間。因為遊人太多、園內面積較大，四處都見人龍排隊購買食物和飲料、參觀室內展覽和如廁，建議入園前帶備樽裝水、小食和三文治。

Banana Spinach Smoothie

Good morning, everybody.  I am sorry that I post this a bit late.  I had just finished a trip in Amsterdam.  Everything seems back to normal now.  I start the day with a glass of green juice – banana spinach smoothie.  This smoothie is so delicious and healthy, you will be addicted.  That is a great way to start the day.  If you try it, let me know what you think.

Wish all of you have a very good morning.

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Serve: 1

Ingredients:

-      1 ripe banana

-      35g raw baby spinach   

-      250 ml skimmed milk

Method:

1.	Add a sliced and peeled banana into the blender.  Then add spinach and milk.
2.	Blend the ingredients for 30 seconds to 45 seconds until everything is smooth and evenly combined.
3.	Ready to serve.