Kew Gardens – A corner of paradise in London?


Kew Gardens – A corner of paradise in London?

 One day, I decided to go out without knowing exactly where I’m going. I took the central line thinking of going to White City because I had never been to that place. I launched Google Maps and browsed the area. I spotted Kew Gardens and my destination was clear. The second I made up my mind, the train stopped at Mile End Station so I quickly changed to the District Line train to Richmond. The first train was for Ealing Broadway so I decided to get off at Earl’s Court and wait for the Train to Richmond.

I finally arrived at Kew Gardens at 3:30pm and made my way to Victoria Gate entrance. The ticket was £15 and I had only 3:30h to spend there and I had a feeling that will not be enough.
I was hungry and thirsty. I had a pizza for £5 and a lemonade for £4 (what a rip-off). For £4:50 I enjoyed a tour on Kew’s land train, with fascinating commentary about the buildings, history, plants and scientific work.
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For example the Pagoda was constructed as a surprise for Princess Augusta, mother of George III, in the summer of 1761 and was completed a year later. Designed by Sir William Chambers, the ten-storey building was an architectural wonder of the time and the tallest reconstruction in Europe of a Chinese building (although, to be accurate, it should have had an odd numbers of storeys). I got there too late and I didn’t have the chance to climb all 253 steps.
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Did you know that…
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Don’t miss out 18 metres climb into the canopy for a bird’s eye view of Kew Gardens in Xstrata Treetop Walkway.
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I visited Waterlily House, the hottest and most humid of Kew’s glasshouses. It is home to tropical and ornamental aquatic plants.
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Princess of Wales Conservatory took me through ten climatic zones with a huge variety of plants, including cacti, ferns, orchids and carnivorous plants.
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Nothing compares to the smell of roses in the Rose Garden behind the Palm House, definitely one of my favourite place.
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After a while I took off my shoes and started walking barefoot. Sorry about my pedicure…
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There are so many things to do and there is no way you will get bored. I know I enjoyed laying down on the grass watching the geese fighting in mid air and swarm of mosquitos backlit.  
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The Kew Gardens closes at 7:30pm but I decided to stay longer and take advantage of the emptiness of this place and capture some photographs at sunset. 
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I am planing to go back to Kew Gardens in order to discover more hidden spots so please keep an eye on my blog for updates. Before you go please enjoy these…
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Caught in the act…
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This is an amazing place in London that should not be missed, especially in spring.
Pleased to see you made it to the end and feel free to share this post! 

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