The day is here, I’m all alone in London. Neal and I dropped off the car and I left him at the Virgin Atlantic line for baggage check in. The line was very long to buy a tube ticket - same place where I found my lucky pound last week. The man at the Underground ticket booth said that the voucher that I have for a Weekly Visitor Pass must be exchanged for a ticket at a BritRail station so I will try going to Victoria first.Okay, I arrived at 37 Crondace Road which is a little closer to Parsons Green and lots nicer than Fulham Road. There are lots of trees and the sidewalks and road are wider. Annabel is very nice and suggested I visit Kew since it’s such a lovely day. On my way to the tube, I accidentally left my London gardens book on a wall along the street while adjusting my backpack and had to go back for it - luckily it was still there.
At Victoria, I exchanged my voucher for a weekly visitor pass which can be used on Underground and Docklands Light Railway, the local train system around London - including Hampton Court for which I bought a separate $13 ticket. I’ll return it when I get back. Turns out that I could have done this at Heathrow today or last week - I happened to get an Underground ticket agent that gave me the wrong information.
Arrived at Kew Gardens at 12:30 and went immediately to the Orangery to have a delicious lunch (since I had only cereal for breakfast a long time ago). This place is very, very big. The rhododendrons and azaleas are blooming as are many other wildflowers. I’m beginning to think I may give it an 11 or 12, and I haven’t even seen the Palm House yet. I’ve decided to save that for last. I’m sitting on a bench in the conservation area surrounded by blue, pink and yellow wildflowers. It’s quiet and very lovely.
The Temperate House was extraordinary. They have the largest glass enclosed palm in the world. Pretty soon, they’ll need to move it again as it looks like it’s outgrowing its spot. I really like the spiral staircase that leads to the upper catwalk. You get good views of the plants from there. I took a picture but don't think it captures how large and pretty the palms actually are.
Most people are enjoying themselves and some are having picnics on large blankets on the various lawns. Longwood doesn't allow food but this place does.
The Palm House loses points because it is far too hot with no roof openings (but it does have a nice little aquarium exhibit in the basement). However, the Princess of Wales Conservatory makes up for it although some rooms of it are hot as well. It’s the largest conservatory in the gardens with a variety of climate controlled rooms.
The rock garden is spectacular and full of color - obviously manmade unlike Brimham Rocks. I’ve been here four hours and still have lots to see.
The Alpine House had many small and delicate flowers plants which I will probably never see anywhere again except in books or other botanical gardens. The rest of the gardens were very pretty although very different from Longwood. Its plants and trees are set up much differently. It’s not as well tended as Longwood but has a nice variety of plants. There were so many trees of different species that all I could do was admire them from a distance. I didn’t want to leave but was getting tired and hungry. Overall, I give it a 10.
Stopped at a very pretty café along the way to the train for shepherd’s pie - they are playing Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony - my favorite. If Neal can eat lamb, so can I. It tastes okay, I guess, but definitely not my favorite.
The Rose Garden The Temperate House The Alpine House (click to view larger images) Got back to my room about 7:00, still sunny. Lots of people from the bar "The White Horse" are hanging out on the sidewalks and in the park having fun. It reminds me of a frat party - mostly young people aged 20-30. My room is very comfortable, as is the bathroom. The room is mostly tan with dark flowered bedspreads and the bathroom has light green walls with darker green molding and trim, very nice. There’s lots of room on the sink and tub to set my things - the tub has a nice faucet that looks like an old fashioned telephone because of the way the shower handle sits on top of the hot/cold knobs. Anyway, it’s very useful. I watched some television - there was a show about the Titanic and an auction of items from the ship - a watch that stopped at 2:16 am (the time of the sinking) fetched £15,000 and a letter on Titanic’s letterhead sold for £4,500. I also saw BBC bloopers which were very funny. A lot of them were from the recent production of Tom Jones. The weather for tomorrow was predicted to be 22 degrees Celsius, very warm and clear.
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