Holland marks 400-year US friendship with flowers

The Nation

Arguably the most beautiful spring garden in the world, the Keukenhof will burst out in all its glory for a flower show from March 19 to May 21, when 4.5 million tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and other spring flora will carpet the park in colour.

Sailing the bulb fields

 Often listed as one of Europe's top attractions, the gardens are hosting a string of other festivities to mark their birthday, including the largest display of lilies  -- more than 30,000 -- in history, from May 14 to 21. Visitors will also get the chance to try out a new attraction -- a one-hour boat trip through the bulb fields with a stop at a traditional Dutch windmill.

 Four-hundred years ago, Dutch sailors managed to get all the way across the Atlantic, and gave the name New Amsterdam to the land they found. Though it was renamed New York following the British take-over, the Keukenhof is reminding everyone of the original bond through a massive flower mosaic of the Statue of Liberty.

Van Gogh's all-night party

 New York's Museum of Modern Art is spreading the Dutch-US good feeling further by collaborating with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for "Van Gogh and the Colours of the Night", which runs until June 7. The night was a favourite subject for the artist, who once said, "It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly coloured than the day".

Lighting up tiny town

 The famous miniature town of Madurodam, not far from Amsterdam, has its own homage to American culture in the form of a Sesame Street. But visitors should also look out for "Madurodam by Light", a spectacular sound-and-light show running from April to November. Thousands of twinkling lights will create a fairytale atmosphere, illuminating the people and buildings of this scaled-down world with a special magic.

 For more, visit www.Keukenhof.nl, www.Madurodam.nl and www.VanGoghMuseum.nl.