Naaldwijk, Netherlands

Now this may not be for everyone but I couldn’t resist starting the morning with Hagelslag, which is toast with butter topped with lots and lots of chocolate sprinkles not unlike the Fairy Bread served at kids’ parties in the southern hemisphere. Apparently it was invented a century ago when the director of a liquorice sweet company wanted aniseed flavoured sprinkles for his bread. Then, it is said, in 1936 a young boy sent letters to a chocolate producing company asking for chocolate sprinkles for his bread. Today there are a wide variety of sprinkles in Dutch supermarkets that are enjoyed by both children and adults.

Hitting the road I left Leiden towards Vlietland, a recreational lake and park with a network of bike paths. From Vlietland, I veered off the main road to connect with the path adjacent to the Vliet canal. Travelling alongside it, as I neared the town of Leidschendam I saw the De Salamander windmill across the canal. Originally built in 1643 but destroyed by fire it was fully rebuilt in 1989 and currently operates as a wood mill. A section of the path is filled with cafes and restaurants with  pleasant views of the canal. 

Just before the town of Delft the route veered southwest. Whilst no time was spent in Delft, it was worth noting it for its famous blue and white pottery known as Delftware. Delft was the major centre of Delftware production during the 17th and 18th centuries. Of the 30 plus factories that once operated in Delft only one continues to exist today. The Royal Delft Factory has been in operation since 1653 and early in 2021 it successfully received its official museum status. 

Connecting to the N222 it became starkly obvious that I arrived at the centre of bulb trading. The small village of Naaldwijk is surrounded by some of the largest greenhouses in the world. Just northeast of the village is the Royal Flora Holland, the largest international flower auction house. Each day it sells over 20 million flowers and each year it turns over more than nearly 5 billion euros. The most popular flowers auctioned are tulips, roses and chrysanthemums.

This brings me to the end of my journey. This delicate looking flower that found its way from the wilds of central Asia into the gardens of Europe and beyond continues to bring joy to plant enthusiasts and whilst the once highly coveted and extremely rare Semper Augustus no longer exists, there is no shortage of colours and varieties to indulge the senses.