It rained all day, but I didn't care! It made for more of an adventure and cut down my time at Kew Gardens which enabled me to fit in a trip to Hampton Court Palace.
I love the Oyster cards. Got on the tube after breakfast. Swipe card on and off. Had to change part way along to another line to get to Kew Gardens, which is some distance away. When you get off at the Tube station at Kew, the National Archives are almost right there! Wish I'd known that.
Didn't realize there was such a big park at Kew. I began walking on a garden path and was virtually alone. Sure, one could spend a whole day there... on a nicer day. I didn't feel like walking all the way in pouring rain to the other end to see if the bluebells were blooming. Went through several large glass buildings. It's not the same kind of garden as Butchart's but it's a case of apples & oranges so they can't be compared. Frankly though, I expected this place to be much grander.
Get off at the station and you're in a residential/commercial area. Where might the gardens be?
Just follow the crowd, I guess.
The entrance gate. Actually this is probably a different gate. There are a few.
Nice weather if you're a goose.
The Pagoda was completed in 1762.
The Temperate House.
Eek, I didn't expect to be reminded of The Haunting here. This place is a little ramshackle.
Perhaps it is interesting to people who are avid fans of unusual plants.
Back outside it's still raining.
My kingdom for a gumdrop.
Palm House.
Still raining.
Inside this building I cut my finger while closing my umbrella. Wouldn't you know it would be a rare occasion that I was without a bandaide? I had to find a worker to ask for one... but in England do I call it a bandaide or a 'plaster'?
I'll go for a little woodlands walk.
A magpie?
Kew Palace and the Royal Kitchens.
The best part - snack time! There are a couple of cafes and a couple of restaurants on the grounds.
A young man in an info booth gave me terrific directions to get to the bus for Hampton Court Palace - turn right out of driveway, take road to the right but not the one to the extreme right, pass under a bridge, go to so-and-so and catch the # whatever bus. I followed his instructions, saw a shopping area, looked across the road and there was the bus! I got on, swiped card, and it left a minute later.
This was the worst weather of the day. The rain was pelting down.
