LONDON: Kew Gardens

It's definitely a good idea to visit gardens during the summer because this is the time when you can appreciate the many flowers that are in full bloom.

We visited the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, which is around 30 minutes away from Central London.

This is where plant and fungal studies are conducted, since here you can find different kinds of plant collections from around the world. It also welcomes anyone who simply admires and appreciates nature. It is considered as well to be London's largest UNESCO World Heritage site.

There is plenty of space to roam around, and definitely lots of attractions to see. The Kew Gardens map can be downloaded through here (updated as of June 2018). They are open from 10AM to 7PM, and there is also a fee of 17.75 GBP per adult.

Here's my favorite spots!

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is located at the back of the Palm House. The smell of the roses was very strong. I was (over)thinking about the possibility of getting intoxicated by the smell, in a good way though (?) haha! It's probably like putting on too much perfume on yourself and you start getting dizzy, kind of feeling. But then this time, it's from the natural source, the roses themselves. 

In closer view: 

The Great Broad Walk Borders

This was a long stretch of flowers from both sides. It is known to be the world's longest double herbaceous borders which spans 320 meters. There were patches and beds of flowers all over, and sometimes benches in between for you to take a break and literally smell the flowers.

Here's some that caught my eye:

Seeing these would definitely make you want to walk a bit slower.

Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'

I love the color of these. So fiery red, definitely reminds me of summer time.

Daisies, I'll never get tired of these. Seeing them puts a smile on my face instantly. 

 
Summer yellows, Achillea Moonshine

Fireworks!!

It feels like a fairy could pop out any time soon.

It's definitely the best time to walk through this broad walk during summer season.

Kew Palace

The Kew Palace is actually a remnant of a much larger complex. This is the Dutch house, which is one of the main survivors of the palace. It has been the residence of the royals, and at one point in time, it was also where a royal wedding took place. It now houses paintings and furniture dating back to the 1600's. It is now considered as the smallest of the British royal palaces.

When we got there they were already closing; we didn't really get to see what was inside, so we went behind the palace, wherein there was yet another garden named Queen's Garden.

And was pleasantly greeted by these lavenders. This was one of my favorite places. It seemed to me like the perfect place to have quiet time.

You go, bees. I'm all for the growth of these lovely flowers.

It's a simple pleasure, being surrounded by all these plants. I like the idea of silent growth, just as plants do. You never see how they grow or measure the exact time, you don't know if they do it overnight, but they just simply do without your knowledge. You just get surprised one day and you see more buds on your cactus, or maybe that seed finally sprouted. Plants are full of surprises.

The Garden is near the London Heathrow Airport, so expect a lot of airplanes passing above you during your visit. When we took a break one time, we sat down on the bench and stared at the sky for a while, counting the many airplanes and looking closely as to which specific airline it was from.

My central thought at the end of the day:

Flowers, plants, and nature, a great reminder and a solid reflection of God's beauty and mighty hand at work around us. 

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Thank you for reading, dear reader.

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