Someone pointed out to me a while ago that I have a weird prejudice with liking flowers. You see, I came out as a flower lover during the first lockdown of 2020, but I still had some degree of unease about it. I think that I liked to dislike them with the same conviction that I disliked “Hello, Kittie.” Both are things of the cutesy sort. Flowers are easy to transform into a cliche of femininity or an Instagram-feed commonplace. So, unaware of replacing a cliche with another, I decided: flowers are for seniors. Or for women fond of receiving heart-shaped chocolate boxes on Valentine’s Day. In either case: not me (yet).

I think the pressing question in my mind was, in fact, “Does this means I am old?” I had to come to terms with the fact that 1) yes, I’m getting older – like everyone who lives on this earth – and 2) people change. Tastes, beliefs, boyfriends. Who was that very illuminated person who stated that we only cease to change when we’re dead? Is this even a quote, or am I making it up? Anyway, I changed. And flowers can be rejuvenating. And that’s how I found myself happily accepting Visit Alsmeer’s invitation to – guess what – visit Aalsmeer. I had never heard of the area, shame on me, but I have vowed to explore the Netherlands and take you with me. I had a blast of a day immersed in florals. 

At FloriWorld, I let my inner-child run free, as you can see here. This recently opened flower experience center is a recommended pick for anyone with a heart for Instagram for the many photography-worthy moments it offers. Next up, the Flower Art Museum, with their botanical themed exhibitions and impressive surroundings by the Westeinderplassen, a huge lake overlooked by Aalsmeer’s Water Tower (Watertoren), a 50-meter monument you should climb for breathtaking views over the whole region. Aalsmeer’s Historical Garden (Historische Tuin) was our last stop, and this is a botanical gem where you can learn about the history and practice of local horticulture. One of the most special places I have had the opportunity to visit lately because: all sorts of flowers and plants! clogs! flower nurseries! shrubs of different kinds! old-school greehouses! ancient species you can’t find anywhere else! Noteworthy: you can finish everything off with a picturesque boat ride and cheesecake! Their cafe serves mouth-watering lunches too, as in salads and richly filled broodjes – if you are a foreigner living here, you know that it’s not easy to find proper lunch sandwiches in Dutchland. All I have just stated is conveniently documented in a short but hopefully sweet video. I said sweet, not cutesy — I may like flowers now, but I did not let go of my edgy, so here’s a full-blown botanical explosion.

Disclaimer: this is not sponsored content, however the experiences were courtesy of Visit Aalsmeer.

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