Flower Power

Blooming just Once in a Decade

by ROBIN CHERRY

One of the world’s premier horticultural festivals, Floriade only comes around every ten years so pencil the Netherlands into your 2022 datebook. For six months, from April 14 to October 9, the city of Almere (25 minutes from Amsterdam by train), will welcome over two million visitors to what’s frequently referred to as “The World’s Fair of Flowers.”

Almere, the Netherland’s newest city, was founded in 1976 on land reclaimed from the sea. It has so much contemporary architecture that Le Figaro called it “an open air architecture museum.” Innovative architectural firm MVRDV will design the Floriade site which they envision as a green energy- and food-generating extension to the city that will flourish long after the expo is over.

Highlights of the expo will include the new Arboretum, an alphabetically organized “living library” of over 3,000 tree, plant, and flower species; and over forty pavilions where participating countries can showcase their plants, flowers, culture, and innovations.

A river cruise is the perfect way to experience Floriade and both AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways will offer complimentary admission to the expo on board select cruises.

Avalon will visit Floriade on seven different trips.

Ardent flower lovers should select one of Avalon’s two April sailings, Tulips of Northern Holland, which will also visit the famed tulip fields of Keukenhof, home to over 7 million colorful flowers.

AmaWaterways

On AmaWaterways guests can select from nine trips sailing along the Rhine and Dutch and Belgian Waterways.

As Floriade is a once-in-adecade event, don’t put off until 2032 what you can do next year.