Yesterday was such a great day that it actually felt like summer had finally arrived in London. Clear blue skies (though still not as blue as what I saw when I recently went back home) actually required me to bring out my sunglasses for the first time since getting to English shores! Instead of wasting the day inside, I decided to head out to visit Kew Gardens out just near Richmond. The trip took a very long time almost over two and a half hours as the tube line to Richmond was down and the bus routes particularly overworked since there were no additional services.
London has a great number of fantastic parks, but the thing that makes Kew Gardens unique is the large number of different floral offerings. The gardens are spread over 300 acres of land and the extremely walkable paths lead to various greenhouses, temples, groves, and buildings all with particular themes. One of the greenhouses house all types of palm trees from all over the world, another demonstrating plant life from all parts of the globe including Australia and New Zealand! There’s even apparently evidence pointing to wallabies inhabiting a part of the gardens but I had no particular desire to chase them down.
The excess of lawns and various garden displays that require maintenance inevitably lead to the gardens charging a hefty (£11.75!) fee, though you might think that for an entire day of lounging around on the grass it is worth it. Kew Gardens is also home to the Kew Palace, home of King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte though it too requires an extra £5 fee to walk around its three floors of rooms.
The Kew Gardens are fantastic on a bright sunny day and is definitely ideal for groups picnicking and just relaxing in its spectacular surroundings. Bringing supplies of food and water are highly recommended as the cafes and restaurants charge higher than average prices for average quality food. Highlights of the day included the visit to the Queen’s Gardens surrounding the Kew Palace, and a large tent set up for what looked like someone’s (most likely expensive) wedding reception.
Finding good and decently priced Japanese food in the UK can be quite difficult, unlike back home in Brisbane. Finding lunch time sushi rolls is impossible (unless you count the boxes that Marks & Spencers, an upmarket supermarket, serve). Wagamama’s is pretty good and is all over London, delivering consistent and reasonably priced Japanese meals in a modern way but it too still lacks great sushi.
