Sharon in London

Sharon's View of London

I had a great visit with Mom while she was here. I think I walked her legs off, but I think she enjoyed herself. We spread our site seeing out over several days. The first day I took her on a bus tour of the city. We took a day just to visit, and then on Sunday we went to Harrods. I think she was amazed at how much stuff was in that store!

On Monday we went to the Florence Nightingale Museum, then toured Kengsington Palace before having a late lunch at the Orangery. On her last full day in London I took her to Windsor Castle. I think this was one of her favorite sites, and I don't blame her - it really is quite impressive.

On the day she flew back to the States, we took the Underground to the airport, and I feel a little bad that we didn't leave the apartment a bit sooner. I sometimes forget that not everyone is not used to walking as fast as I do in London. I should have planned a little more time for us to get to the station considering we had her luggage with us. So, I'm sorry, Mom, if I rushed you a little on that last walk through our neighborhood - I just wanted to stay in the apartment and visit for as long as possible before you had to leave!

It was great getting to share London with my mom, and I think she enjoyed her trip. The pictures in the album above are those she took with her camera. Enjoy!

Greenwich

Greewich

The day after I went to Kew Gardens, I decided to check out Greenwich. I went to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian and tour the museum. Afterward I wandered through Greenwich Park, which was beautiful with all the colors of the changing leaves. I even took the time to pick up some chestnuts from the trees in the park - several others were there doing the same. Of course, after taking them home and roasting them in the oven (which made a real mess when some of them exploded) I decided I didn't really like the taste of chestnuts. Oh well...lesson learned.

Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens

Early October was beautiful in London. I love autumn; it is my favorite season. On a nice sunny day, I headed to Kew Gardens so that I could enjoy it while some things were still in bloom. I ended up with some colorful autumn pictures. I also found a few interesting things in the park, including some Henry Moore statues that currently on exhibit at Kew.

I took the free guided tour through the the park, and I really enjoyed learning about the important role that Kew plays in the cataloguing and preservation of many of the world's plant species. It is primarily a scientific institution with large collections of both living and preserved plants.

The living plant collection at Kew is the largest and most comprehensive in the world, containing representatives of more than one in eight of all flowering plant species. Many species in the collection are endangered in their natural habitats, and Kew gardeners and scientists work to conserve these species as threats to their habitats continue. Specimens of endangered plants are cultivated and propagated for distribution to other botanic gardens or, whenever possible, return to their natural habitats. Seeds from more than 3,500 plant species are preserved and stored in the seed bank at Wakehurst Place. Other scientists can use these seeds to study or to reintroduce the plants into their native habitats.

If you are interested in seeing more of Kew Gardens, then you might want to try a virtual tour.