The last time we were in London, there were some sights we missed. So some of these made our must-see list this time, and one of the top items was the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Getting there involved a bus, then a rather long tube ride, but it was well worth it. Although I was a little disappointed in the few flower gardens we were able to explore (kids considered them boring) the stupendous trees more than made up for it.
They were all so tall! Amazing what ample rainfall will do for flora. One of the main attractions is a canopy walk that puts you up near the tops of some of these beauties...
But even just the surface walkways gave us fantastic views. And just being able to stroll around such astounding greenery was so very calming, even relaxing, in spite of the fact that a lot of walking was involved—it's an enormous garden! I'm sure there were acres and acres we didn't even get to.
A favorite tree was the Monkey Puzzle; it's dark-needled conifer in this picture:
But one prize specimen got special treatment; this very interesting video, called "Of the Oak," celebrates "the oak tree as a network of relationships." (You can learn more about the video here.) Both kids and adults enjoyed the video...
...as well as appreciating the specific ancient tree the art installation refers to. It's the Lucombe Oak, #1 in the list of "standout trees at Kew" on the webpage I've linked to here. It has a rather interesting history, probably being planted in the late 1700's!
We did walk through the famous Palm House that you can see in the pic at the top of the post. Here's another shot of this most photogenic structure from another angle:
But we couldn't spend much time in there—my word! It's supposed to duplicate a rainforest environment, and it certainly does. The heat and humidity almost did us in!
Another feature of the place was more welcoming: their Family Kitchen and Shop, which presented us with our preferred dining option for lunch—the food court. It provided welcome sustenance and a chance to rest tired legs for a while, although our time there wasn't without incident: ask any of our grandchildren about Grampa and the exploding tomato!
We had a time constraint in the afternoon, needing to get back to a neighborhood pub where we'd made a reservation to have dinner and watch a very exciting FA Cup final. A satisfying result, a satisfying meal, and entertainment for the kiddos at the Temperance Pub Fulham.
Another beautiful day in greater London! Could this amazing weather possibly hold? Stay tuned!
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