The Kew Gardens--blog 1

To describe everything that I saw at the Kew Gardens today is going to take several blogs. So, here we go! I left this morning, not realizing how long it takes to take the tube from Greenwich to the Kew Garden stop...so I spent nearly two hours getting there. It turns out that I could have gotten there faster, had I read the tube map correctly. My trip back was still long, but not that long! Anyway, when I got out of the tube station, this is what I saw: Very cute little street with cafes and bookstores and...STARBUCKS??!!!! Yes, they are everywhere here, too. Not as much as at home, but they are pretty much taking over. In fact, I went to one recently, for which I am very ashamed...but I digress.

The weather was looking pretty questionable so I was prepared to be disappointed after making the long trek out. I figured I would walk in the greenhouses and not be able to see most of the gardens. And there were a lot of gardens that I couldn't see, but it's not because it rained. It's because I ran out of time (see previous blog about how it gets dark here at 4:00!!!)

So, this was the first thing I saw when I walked into the Kew. Colors everywhere, menacing clouds, stately buildings, and...ugh...seagulls. Despite the seagulls, the gardens are spectacular.
The Palm House is a large greenhouse filled with...you guessed it! PALMS! My camera got fogged up from the humidity--I felt like I was back in New Orleans again--so the pictures are a little ethereal looking. This is a spiral staircase leading up to the top of the greenhouse, where I was able to walk around at the top of the palms. This is the tallest palm in the Palm House. This picture doesn't do it justice. It is gigantic, with leaves that are each about 2 stories long. And it isn't the biggest plant in the Kew greenhouses. I somehow didn't notice that plant, so I'll have to take a picture of it the next time I go. Next Blog.....