Organized by the Amsterdam Canal Museums, Open Garden Days (phone +31 [0] 20 3203660) features 30 canal gardens open to the public, June 17-19, 2011 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. each day). A three-day pass (€15, or $20) provides access to all participating gardens, which can be reached on foot.
Tickets, when available, can be purchased at selected gardens. Advance purchases can be made at the I Amsterdam Ticketshop (Leidseplein 26, terrace side).
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and Keukenhof garden near Lisse are offering, from March 24 through May 20, 2011, a one-day “Van Gogh in Bloom Package.”
Every two years, the Grand’Place in Brussels, Belgium, is transformed into a 2,000-square-meter carpet of almost a million brightly colored begonias, laid down in one day by 100 craftsmen.
We asked you to tell us about an annual event that you recently attended, outside of the US, involving flowers — a flower festival, a parade, an exhibition of flowers, a special bloom time, etc. Following are replies received.
Seeing the invitation for comments on flower fests, Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, THE NETHERLANDS, immediately came to mind. Keukenhof is the world’s largest flower garden, showcasing seven million of the bulbs that make Holland famous.
by Jim Hendrickson; Lynden, WA
REPORT ON DOMINICA…
During a January ’12 Southern Caribbean cruise, we visited a botanical garden in Dominica that we thought was exceptional.
by Yvonne Michie Horn
I read with great interest Yvonne Michie Horn’s article on Kings Landing Historical Settlement (Dec. ’11, pg. 60). ITN readers may also like to know about the Acadian Historical Village (14311 Rte. 11, Rivière-du-Nord, N.B., E8N 2V6, Canada; 877/721-2200 — open 10-6, June 10-Sept. 22; $16 adult, $14 senior, and children six and under free).
I have a bit more information regarding a couple of the places mentioned in the article on Tottori Prefecture in Japan (Nov. ’11, pg. 6). I visited the area Nov. 1-7, 2011. Regarding the Uradome Coast boat excursion with the San’in Matsushima Yourun Company (Iwami-gun; phone 0857 73 1212 or e-mail info@yourun1000.com), the small-boat ride described in the article runs only from April to October and lasts 50 minutes, while the large-boat ride runs from March to November and lasts 40 minutes.
KINGS LANDING, New Brunswick — For over 200 years, the buildings that make up Kings Landing Historical Settlement served well those living in Canada’s St. John River Valley. There, in an area so fertile that it was quickly dubbed “little Egypt,” thousands of refugees from colonial America found a new home in the aftermath of the American Revolution.