Saturday 23rd April:
Caught our bus, no. 91 to Trafalgar Square, then tube from Charing Cross to Kew Gardens. Kew seems to be a really nice area - posh cars, I mean posh - we were early for opening time & sat & waited in the quiet. What a beautiful setting throughout Kew Gardens, lots of annuals in segregated colours giving a gorgious effect. We found a very old Cycad in a glass house which was over 200 years old. It was a Cycad collected in 1773 on the shores of Eastern Cape in South Africa by Francis Masson. It arrived in Kew in 1775 & is still growing. Interesting to note that some Cycads live for as long As 2500 years!! We found a really odd tree, the Atlas Cedar, which had grown every which way, in fact there were several trees the same. We walked, or should we say climbed the 183 steps up to the Xtrata Tree Top Walkway. Very interesting landscape looking out over the tree tops from 18 metres high. The Azalea & Rhoderdendroms gardens were magnificent. We wandered down the Holly walk - the path way lined by large Holly trees that had been topiaried. On our return to the exit, we walked down the Syan Vista avenue in the garden which was lined with beautiful Elms, Oaks & Cedars etc. The lawns appeared to be Mondo Grass which requires limited maintenance & the big fat ducks are lawn mowers in themselves. We had a cup of 'English Tea' with carrot cake- Tandy yours much better - but this was very nice!! It was a good morninbg & we thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Returned back to Kew Station and were given a wrong steer (non reflector) and got on the wrong train. Fortunately we realised this one station down the line so were able to detrain at the next station, cross over the platform to collect the train going the other way! We came off the train amongst the throngs at St James's Station and made our way to Buckingham Place. The world and his wife and others were milling around getting glimpses of "buck house" - no one looked out the windows at us! We just missed the changing of the guard due to the stuff up on the trains. TV vantage points have been erected for the wedding route plus barrier controls. The gardens are looking lovely. Unfortunatley the Daffodills are over, but they must have been beautiful. When we arrived back in Trafalgar Square the horsemen were practising for their wedding procession duties. There was also a demonstation by 'rent a crowd' Turks for whatever problem they have in Turkey!! Collected with another train to Regents Park to visit London Zoo. Neither of us approve of animals in a zoo but had heard so much of the London Zoo, but very disappointed in what we saw & in the zoo itself. The tigers looked good & healthy as were the asian lions, the gorillas amusing as always, but we have been spoilt seeing animals in the wild. Returned to hotel via another train - an interesting exercise joining the throngs at Camden Town!! Weather remained good for the day & this evening a bit of thunder & very light rain.