I read an article by Hetismij about the flower fields in Flevoland.
Does anyone know if the fields will still be in bloom in late May?

We will be in the Netherlands May 27 - June 3. We have been to the major museums and cities on previous trips. By car we want to travel through to Emmeloord maybe further north and west. I know that late May is too late for Keukenhof and Lisse, but I am unsure of the bloom time in the north-west.

Thank You
JoEl

Hi JoEl,
I doubt very much they will still be in bloom in late May - especially as the last fortnight has been very warm dry and sunny, and the coming weeks look to be the same. You may get lucky, but I doubt it.

Lots of other things to see up there if you are still interested in going - let me know and I'll make some suggestions.

Thanks hetismij - amy suggestions will be appreciated.

There is a big celebration throughout Flevoland on May 21st - to celebrate it being a province for 25 years. So there may be some extra things going on which I don't mention.

Firstly I suggest you take the Oostvaardersdijk along the edge of the Markermeer/Ijsselmeer rather than the motorway the A6. To get to it take the A6 until just over the Hollandsebrug then exit, and go under the motorway. This will bring you onto the dijk road (the N701).

In Lelystad is the replica of the East India ship the Batavia, and the building of the replica of the 7 Provincien : http://www.bataviawerf.nl/startpage.html. You may enjoy a visit, but it is not cheap!

Urk is a small fishing village, and former island, which is well worth a visit. On the 21st there are various things going on there. You may be lucky enough to see some of the residents wearing their traditional costume. It is a very religious village, and Sundays are still very special to them. So if you go on a Sunday be careful about what you photograph for instance.

If there are still tulips to be seen you will see signs for the car tour between Urk and Emmeloord.

Schokland is another former island, and a UNESCO world heritage site http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/739, and certainly worth a visit.

You may notice poles with a red sailing ship on them - these mark where shipwrecks were found. There are also a few sculptures around to show you how far below sea level you are.

Emmeloord is not a very nice town nowadays and probably not worth a visit tbh.

Leaving Flevoland both Blokzijl and Giethoorn are lovely places to visit, though both can get very busy nowadays.

If it is market day in Steenwijk (Saturday) you may catch a glimpse of a Staphorst lady in her traditional costume. If it is a Sunday do not go to Staphorst, they really won't appreciate it, and besides it is probably too far for a day trip for you.

If you want a different route back then head for Kampen, then for Elburg which is also worth a visit, before getting the A28/A1 back to Amsterdam.

Alternatively if you want to make a long day of it head up to Friesland and do a circular tour of the Ijsselmeer, heading back over the Afsluitdijk. If you go that way then Sneek is worth a visit as are Hindelopen and Makkum. Harlingen, just north of the Afsluitdijk, is a lovely town and has some good places to eat.

Thanks hetismij for all the info...

JoEl