Hello England

It’s been 40 years since I landed at Heathrow and visited London. When some lovely island neighbors offered us the use of their flat in Richmond(part of Greater London), we couldn’t resist adding it to our travel plans. Delta Airlines was surprisingly easy to get on the phone and within minutes, our original first destination of Edinburgh was changed to London.With all the travel horror stories we’ve been hearing, we were really excited when the flight went off on time and even landed early.

Richmond is on the Thames, and has gorgeous views of the river, loads of history and good food to boot. Summer weather is in full force , so many of the gardens and fields looked quite parched. We took a boat on the Thames into central London on Sunday, happy to have a good breeze as the boat made its way along the river. It was fun to see different towns and a variety of boats along the way.

We walked the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge that spans the river, sorta wondering if the bridge was going to ripple like it did in Harry Potter. (It didn’t.) It was very hot and crowded everywhere we walked, and yet it was also just amazing to see people from all over the world enjoying the city. I heard so many different languages being spoken. The “big” sights don’t lose their luster in the heat or crowds- Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Tate Modern, etc – all hold their own in the wow department. The gardens and shady areas were cooler and colorful, a welcome respite from the hot sidewalks. We caught an air-conditioned train back to Richmond later, completing our day of taking several modes of public transport!

This year is Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70th year as queen. She’s the longest reigning monarch in Britain’s history. We saw tributes to her in many places and forms.

Now that Boris Johnson has finally agreed to step down, the race is on to see who will succeed him. I saw in the Times that many people feel the two Tory candidates who’re campaigning for that job are same old , same old. This sign caught my eye as I walked up the hill in Richmond.

Last but not least for this post, The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew did not disappoint, even with the parched lawns and heat-stroked rose beds. We climbed a spiral staircase to walk above the plants in the Temperate House. The craft of the conservatory was amazing in itself, with pipes for water hidden in the structure. Some women showed me the carnivorous plants; one was actually in the process of engulfing a fly. Very “Little Shop of Horrors”!

The Lily House was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The lily pads were about 3-4 feet in diameter, and the colors just popped.

One of the last places I stopped to study was this bronze tree sculpture. All around it on the wall were bronze ‘leaves’ with facts about trees written on them.

There were lots of leaves, and lots of facts, to read and absorb. This one was my favorite, so I’ll close with it.

More soon.