Keukenhof translates to Kitchen Garden – and that is how this large commercial garden park began. Owned by Jacqueline of Bavaria born 1401 a small part of her castle estate was set aside as her kitchen garden. Here she hunted game, made war and dies at the age of 35 of tuberculosis. The lady had led a very eventful life, married 5 times, and was constantly waging war, alas she died alone at Slot Teylingen near Sassenhelm. The castle grounds fell into the hands of the family wealthy merchants. In 1949, the growers and exporters of flower bulbs held the first of what was to be an annual even an open air exhibition of spring flowers on the grounds This began, as their park guide states, the most beautiful spring garden in the world.
At the end of our visit we bussed back to the boat which had travelled from Amsterdam to Utterecht for an afternoon trip to our next port of call Dordecht.
