Aalsmeer, NL & Rhine Valley, DE
Our last full day of vacation. It was important to use it wisely, so we consulted Rick Steves and his book on Amsterdam for day trip ideas. (Thanks again for the book Kevin!) That is how it came to be that we found ourselves at Aalsmeer. For a description of the Bloemenveiling or "Flowers Auction" I turn to the town's website:
http://www.aalsmeer.nl/
'The world marketplace for flowers and plants'
Every day Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer sets the world price for flowers and plants. This happens by bringing supply and demand together by means of the auction clock- a fascinating process during which large and small batches of flowers are sold within fractions of seconds. Each day, 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks at 'Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer'. It takes place within an area of almost one million m2. This means that Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer has the largest trade building in the entire world!
As a visitor to Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, you will walk over a specially designed gallery. You can take a look at the auction without being noticed. Enjoy the gorgeous flowers, experience the hustle and bustle of auction. Come and take a look at Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer! Opening hours You can visit the auction between 7.30 and 11 a.m. The best time to visit is between 7.30 and 9.00 a.m. The auction is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. More information: http://www.vba-aalsmeer.nl/
What else need I say? The flowers were amazing. I just wanted to tip over a cart and roll around in them. Really neat, I think Rick was right on the money with this tip. Of course, they aren't lying when they say to go early. We were done by 9 am and the tour groups had just started rolling in, plus the activity in the market had greatly diminished just within the hour that we were there.
Our next stop was Antwerp, Belgium for some lunch of french fries and waffles. I think Belgium and the Netherlands have become one of my favorite areas of Europe just for the french fries and waffles alone. Matt agrees, and it's not easy for us to love the same foods. After walking a quick loop of the downtown area, we moved south to Brussels for yet another waffle. We're the epitome of health, no?
Then we moved back into Germany to the Rhine Gorge to camp in the land of castles. We stayed in St. Goar but drove out through Bingen. It was a great area to explore, just wish we had more time there. Also another reason to go back is all of the wine! This area is full of vineyards.
We were back to Zürich by noon after 10 nights of travel. A week and a half to gear up again before we are off to Spain on our last true vacation in Europe.
The flowers of Aalsmeer
Getting a view into the enormous warehouse of flowers at Aalsmeer
The auction clock at Aalsmeer
The description for tourists of the meaning of all the numbers on the auction clock at Aalsmeer
The Grote Markt of Antwerp
The Grote Markt of Brussels
Our look at Rheinfels Castle at St. Goar before we descended into the Rhine Valley
Pfalzgrafenstein fortress dates back to 1326
The Stahleck castle at Bacharach is actually now a youth hostel
Rheinfels Castle from the valley the morning after camping
http://www.aalsmeer.nl/
'The world marketplace for flowers and plants'
Every day Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer sets the world price for flowers and plants. This happens by bringing supply and demand together by means of the auction clock- a fascinating process during which large and small batches of flowers are sold within fractions of seconds. Each day, 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks at 'Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer'. It takes place within an area of almost one million m2. This means that Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer has the largest trade building in the entire world!
As a visitor to Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, you will walk over a specially designed gallery. You can take a look at the auction without being noticed. Enjoy the gorgeous flowers, experience the hustle and bustle of auction. Come and take a look at Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer! Opening hours You can visit the auction between 7.30 and 11 a.m. The best time to visit is between 7.30 and 9.00 a.m. The auction is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. More information: http://www.vba-aalsmeer.nl/
What else need I say? The flowers were amazing. I just wanted to tip over a cart and roll around in them. Really neat, I think Rick was right on the money with this tip. Of course, they aren't lying when they say to go early. We were done by 9 am and the tour groups had just started rolling in, plus the activity in the market had greatly diminished just within the hour that we were there.
Our next stop was Antwerp, Belgium for some lunch of french fries and waffles. I think Belgium and the Netherlands have become one of my favorite areas of Europe just for the french fries and waffles alone. Matt agrees, and it's not easy for us to love the same foods. After walking a quick loop of the downtown area, we moved south to Brussels for yet another waffle. We're the epitome of health, no?
Then we moved back into Germany to the Rhine Gorge to camp in the land of castles. We stayed in St. Goar but drove out through Bingen. It was a great area to explore, just wish we had more time there. Also another reason to go back is all of the wine! This area is full of vineyards.
We were back to Zürich by noon after 10 nights of travel. A week and a half to gear up again before we are off to Spain on our last true vacation in Europe.
The flowers of Aalsmeer
Getting a view into the enormous warehouse of flowers at Aalsmeer
The auction clock at Aalsmeer
The description for tourists of the meaning of all the numbers on the auction clock at Aalsmeer
The Grote Markt of Antwerp
The Grote Markt of Brussels
Our look at Rheinfels Castle at St. Goar before we descended into the Rhine Valley
Pfalzgrafenstein fortress dates back to 1326
The Stahleck castle at Bacharach is actually now a youth hostel
Rheinfels Castle from the valley the morning after camping
posted by Jill Nachtman at 11:36 PM
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