My image of my mom is a large bed full of brightly coloured flowers. Her lovely garden is her playground but also her hiding place. She shows her love with flowers. As a schoolgirl, she spoiled me on my birthday with roses from her garden. There is always a bunch of flowers in our rooms when we visit. I was very excited when the opportunity arose five years ago to show my mother the most beautiful spring garden in the world, Keukenhof.

Excitement and distress

I could not wait to share the news with her. Her excitement was as great as her distress. At age 71, she had never been overseas. Glimpses of Keukenhof on television were sufficient motivation for her to apply for a passport. She also bought a warm jacket and knitted a blue beanie.
My mother and I flew via Dubai and met Charl in Amsterdam. We enjoyed the different meals and wide selection of music and movies on the plane. She surrendered to the experience and ran when necessary to catch the connecting flight.

Our stay in Leiden was perfect

Our stay in Leiden was perfect. The bed-and-breakfast lady was a retired psychologist about my mother’s age. Because Dutch and Afrikaans are so close, we communicated and understood each other in our languages. Our hostess spoiled us with various Dutch delicacies. Every morning there was another homemade surprise, fresh from the oven, for breakfast. The language and culture of the Dutch programs on television amused us.

Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans and Delft factory

We planned our Keukenhof visit for later in the week. Meanwhile, we explored Amsterdam on foot and admired the people, thousands of bicycles, and historic buildings. When our legs became tired, we viewed the city from one of the boats on the canals. We visited the Zaanse Schans and saw windmills, craft shops and museums. At the Delft factory, they made the most beautiful hand-painted blue Delft crockery.

Tulip fields

The day before our Keukenhof excursion, we drove around between the tulip farms and admired the rows of colour. Sometimes we got out of the car to take a closer look and experience the wonderful smell of the masses of flowers. The image of the flower fields was my picture of heaven. We were amazed at the golden yellow Daffodils that emerged like wildflowers everywhere.

Keukenhof

Keukenhof was more than I expected. It was satisfactory to see the amazement in my mom’s eyes, and it was precious to experience her joyfulness. We were amazed by the many exhibits, colourful tulip varieties and other flowers. When Charl later noticed that we had walked more than 10km, my mom remarked in surprise, Hey, I did not even know I could walk that far!

This year we were hoping to visit Keukenhof for a second time. Keukenhof receives more than a million visitors a year. Keukenhof was ready to open on 20 March 2021 and started selling tickets online. However, the government informed them that the current Covid conditions did not yet allow them to open, even though their gardens are ready. Covid numbers in Europe are rising again, indicating the third wave. Fortunately, Keukenhof displayed their gardens virtually on social media. I, therefore, start every day with a quick visit to Keukenhof!

I wish I could surprise my mother with an unexpected visit and flowers. However, I am now limited to the tulip photos I send her via WhatsApp. Fortunately, I know from experience that out of the blue-opportunities do sometimes arise.

Kind regards

Emsia