It was day one of our cruise down the Rhine and we had to be at the boat by 1pm for our tour to the Keukenhof tulip gardens. We walked down towards Westerpark and to grab some breakfast and chose the omelette at a local cafe so we’d have enough to keep going until dinner. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting.

We checked out at 11am and our host Nick was there on time and carried our cases back downstairs. It was an easy bus ride back to the station and the boat, which was docked next door. We initially went to west dock instead of east but both are close to the station and we arrived in plenty of time. We also discovered there was a light lunch on board with soup and sandwiches and salad so we could have managed without the omelette/fried egg bun!

Our room wasn’t ready but we checked in and had a beer then collected our head set things and trooped off to the bus. The gardens are about 25 minutes from Amsterdam, just past the airport. We had a guide who had a good sense of humour and spend 40 minutes with us getting our bearings and then we were let loose. The place was packed and the weather was great. Beautifully sunny and warm.

It was not what we were expecting and both of us loved it. It is really a park with lots of trees and ponds and tulip gardens everywhere.

There are also some exhibition houses with floral art, displays, daffodils and sales areas where the local growers have displays.

The entire gardens are supplied with bulbs from the neighbouring growers and the place is amazing – and huge! I loved the outdoor areas but not so much the glasshouses and pavilions.

The Dutch style of floral art is very artificial with a lot of added decoration and no attempt to show the plants in their natural state. The orchids coloured by the dye they are living in typified it for me. Colourful but fake. The tulips on the other hand ….

We had a very slow trip back as it was rush hour and the day before a Kings Day, the equivalent to our Queens Birthday but more patriotic. It’s a huge event in Amsterdam and everyone wears orange and drinks a lot and basically has a street party. The roads were crammed and we had a good view of some appalling driving about which our guide gave an entertaining commentary.

We had the safety briefing and exit drill followed by bubbles and canapés. There are about 150 passengers, mostly Kiwis, Australians and Americans. We met up with our friend Brenda, who is doing the cruise with us and has just had 5 days in France. She is just along the corridor from us.

Our room is in the middle of the middle deck (of the Avalon Tranquility ll) and opens directly to the outside with sliding doors (not that it’s warm enough to open the doors).

It has a good sized en-suite and wardrobe and a nicely stocked minibar. There is complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner and bubbles (evidently) at breakfast, but you pay for other alcohol. The tv has a movie channel and plays a log fire with classical music after they turn down the bed. There is a 3 course dinner each night in the downstairs dining room with about 4 choices of main and our first night’s fare was delicious. You can also have a bistro or salad bar meal upstairs, which is likely to be more popular as the days go on!

I think we will be very comfortable ?