My wife and I visited Floriade this April and were both somewhat dissapointed. The flowers are pretty, but do not begin to compare to the Keukenhof in Lisse. The "country exhibits" varied from nice to embarrassing, and the "Big Spotters Hill" overlooked nothing pretty or interesting. Although worth visiting, if you only had time to visit either Floriade or the Keukenhof in season, we would definately choose the latter.<BR>Fred

I just returned from visiting both places and had the same opinion as you, Fred. Keukenhof was great to visit again & Floriade was almost a waste of time.

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My husband and I just returned from Amsterdam, and we,too wish we had not wasted our time going to the Floriade.<BR>What a marketing job!!

Jane, <BR>Sorry to hear that Floriadae was such a disappointment. What else did you do in Amsterdam that you enjoyed? We are planning a visit there primarily because of the Floriade, but don't want to waste our time while there's so much else to do.

We particularly enjoyed the flower auction at Alsmeer and the gardens at Keukenhof. The best way to see Amsterdam is by the canal boat tours--we took two of them. All of the musceums are wonderful--particularly the special Van Gogh/Gauguin exhibit. We did not have any problem getting right in (at about 3p.m.) but the line is quite long during most of the day. The exhibit has collected Van Gogh and Gauguin paintings from all over the world. We also visited the museums in Den Hagg and Haarlem.

Thanks for the speedy reply, Jane. We won't be in Amsterdam until July 11 and the van Gogh/Gauguin will be over but I look forward to seeing the museum. Saw the exhibit in L.A. while it was being renovated, but it will be much better being in Holland! The flower auction sounds great. Appreciate your input!