Jason In England: Mom's Trip, October 2018 Part Three

I have wanted to visit Kew Gardens...or The Royal Botanic Garden at Kew...for years, but it's in London and huge, meaning I'd have to spend at least one night (likely two) in London to get to really see it. Mom wanted to go to London again (she hadn't beens since she first visited me in 2011) and we figured Kew would be a great day out. We were right!

We and some kind fo squash (maybe).

Lotus plants.

These are Victoria waterlilies. I have wanted to see them since my pond obsession began in middle school. They are HUGE! Large ones can support the weight of a 6 year old. It was so cool getting to see something I have read about for years.

The picture doesn't really show how big this fish was. I would guess it was about 20 inches long.

A handsome Chinese water dragon from the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

The Palm House.

There was a conservatory called The Princess of Wales Conservatory. It has multiple parts, each focusing on a different kind of environment. We entered it from the cactus and succulent section. Mom looked around and said 'It's nice, but they should've given Princess Diana something better than cactuses.' I pointed out that this was only one part....and the Princess of Wales the conservatory was named after Augusta, the Princess of Wales who donated the land for Kew in the 18th century. 'Oh.' She said. I am pretty sure that I pay more attention to the audio guides than most (ie normal) people.

At Kew there is an art installation called The Hive. It is designed to recreate a beehive you can actually walk in. It makes a strange sound similar to the sound of a hive as the moving parts constantly move from the wind. The coolest part is that it is connected to an actual beehive somewhere at Kew, and the heat generated by the hive powers LED lights in the hive, so as you watch you can see the lights fade in and out based on the activity of the actual beehive.

The Hive.

Inside.

Below.

This year Kew re-opened its Temperate Glasshouse, the largest glasshouse in the world, after having closed the original one built by the Victorians in order to refurbish it.

Behind us is Kew Palace, the smallest of the countries royal palaces.

Bonsai apple tree.

The pagoda was originally built in 1762 as a present to Augusta, Princess of Wales.

We visited the Royal Mews, the group responsible for all of the Queen's land travel, which included cars but really everyone goes to see the horses and carriages.

This is the carriage that carries the crown jewels to the State Opening of Parliament every year. The red table is where the crown sits.

This was a present from Australia a few years ago. It is MASSIVE!

This is the State Coach used for the Queen's Coronation. It was built by one of the Georges (can't remember which).

One of the horses that pulls the Queen. The Queen always travels in a carriage pulled by solid grey horses. This was started by Victoria as a way for people in large crowds to be able to identity which coach she was in. Solid grey horses are rare, so the stable managers are always looking for them