Wild Wednesday's: Kew Gardens | London

in #travelfeed6 years ago

Hello Steemian Friends!

How are you all today? Hope all is well and you have all had a good day so far.
Welcome to another Wild Wednesday's post written by Becca.

Do you remember last week's Wild Wednesday's post? Sam and I had a day off together and decided to have an action packed day out exploring parts of London we had not been to. We went to Richmond Park for the morning and early afternoon, then we started making our way towards the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. As I mentioned last week, this day took place in December and it was still a bit chilly, and obviously there is also a lot happening with many Christmas themed celebrations/events.

Royal Botanical Gardens Kew (also called Kew Gardens)


Once we had finished our stroll through Richmond Park, we then went and made our way to the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. We had read online on their website that they had put on a Christmas Light Show at the Gardens, so we decided it would be nice to see. As it was a light show, we obviously had to wait a little while for the sky to start getting dark so that we could see the full effects of the lights. So we made sure not to rush anything that afternoon. When we arrived at Kew Gardens, the Christmas spirit was everywhere! Lights and lanterns were dangling from the trees, Christmas music was playing.. it really felt magical, as if it was already Christmas morning! We walked through the main gates after paying our tickets, yes it was not for free, and we were immediately welcomed by a huge Christmas tree all lit up!

Oh Christmas Tree, oh Christmas tree!

After walking past the enormous tree, we found ourselves walking around parts of the outdoor gardens which were nicely arranged into a walking light trail with many of the plants and flowers lit up with their own individual lights, each displaying something different!

This was one of my favourite little fairy lights in the walking light trail at Kew Gardens, simple yet elegant!

Once we had made our way around the trail, we came to the Palm House, which is effectively a large iconic Victorian glasshouse that recreates a rainforest climate which supports a diversity of tropical plants from some of the most threatened environments and habitats in the world. Unfortunately, the Palm House was closed so we could not go inside, however it was here that the light show finale was to take place. All of a sudden, the Palm House lit up with lights that were dancing to the rhythm of the music, changing colours and patterns! It was truly a wonderful sight to see! Our phones were running very very low on battery (under 20% and 10%) so we were frantically trying to conserve as much battery we could so we only managed to take a few photos. However, I must say that not even photos or videos do it justice, it's one of those "I guess you had to be there" moments. Here go some photos anyway to show you a glimpse of what we did see that night!

The Palm House lit up! Sorry the quality is not that great, I guess the low battery didn't help as well as the fact that these were taken on our phones at night...

We would really like to go back one day and see Kew Gardens during the day. I went to Kew Gardens once before on a university visit, however my class and I had spent a lot of the time in lectures and inside the main building doing organised activities by the University about Ecological Conservation, so I didn't get to see much of the outside. One day Sam and I will go back and explore it during day light.

Kew Gardens are London's largest UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge. I believe they do a lot of research for helping to understand plant life and how our human lives depend so much on plant life. Another reason why we must help to look after our planet, we share it with so many non-human organisms.

Have you been to Kew Gardens before? Did you enjoy it? Let us know about your visit, we would really like to hear as we hope one day to return and visit again!

Stay Classy Steemians!


Wild Wednesday’s is a post written by the @travelling-two every Wednesday to inform their followers and readers about nature and conservation.

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Looks beautiful! I'm planning to go next week! :-)

It was very beautiful! These were taken almost two years ago, but we doubt much has changed. Obviously, you won't see the light show as that's in December in the run-up to Christmas (so, re-visit Kew at the end of this year). Let us know how your visit goes! :)

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Oh only I could get to London one day! I just found your account and love the two of you!

Thank you @cerenselenapa! Love your recent post about Thailand - exploring one of Thailand's lesser known island! Following and we'll check out your future posts 😊

When you go next time, don't forget to go up the Treetop Walkway, definitely my favourite part to see the trees from a different angle

Ah, thanks @livinguktaiwan for your advice, though we think it will be awhile until our next long stay in London (in order to visit Kew) as we'll be in England over the summer, but not for very long. We know @yasminep is planning to go to Kew next week, so Yasmine, please look at the advice above 😊

Oooooh I'll look out for that! Thanks for the tag!

You're welcome! 😊

It's pretty awesome that you both enjoy traveling as a couple and are writing about it. I love your concept about the "travelling-two". It's like couple goals. Lol.

Definitely putting London on my list of places to visit, someday!

Thanks @arc.angel! Yes, we knew after a few weeks of going out that we loved travelling together and wanted to document our journey! However, we never got around to making a personal blog, so when we heard about Steemit earlier this year, we gave it a shot! Loving it!

Where are you based? London is one of those places people put on their bucket list. It does have its own charm and special qualities!

Yeah steemit is awesome but I think it's more awesome that you guys found your soulmate in each other.

I'm in Philippines and it's been my dream to travel around the world. I'll work my way through so that soon enough, I'll set foot in London to see that charm. :)

Awwww thanks @arc.angel! That comment is so lovely. We are glad we did find each other and we have our arguments and dislikes, but generally we complement each other ;)

That's cool, you're not far off from us and we haven't been to the Philippines! Don't know when we will be able to go, but it's definitely on our list as we slowly tackle the S.E.A. nations.

We hope you can achieve your dreams soon! Hopefully, you're saving up to start somewhere and then you can earn as you go, if you're thinking about doing the digital nomad lifestyle.

In an uncheesy way, I find you guys inspiring. I mean it's difficult to find someone whom you share your life and travels with at the same time. Perhaps, on my end, it's because I usually go solo. Lol

You should visit the Philippines especially if you love the beach and mountains!

I'm saving up for that path as well. Hopefully, I could turn this dream into reality. :)

You will find someone to share these journeys with. Yet, solo travel is great as you find out more about yourself!

Philippines natural beauty looks amazing! We do love nature, so the beaches and mountains are right up our street.

It is many travelers dream to live on the road and explore new places whilst earning enough to keep that lifestyle. 😊

It's a pretty daunting lifestyle. I need to prepare for that and yeah I'll probably meet that someone along the way.😊

Wishing you well on your travels!!

This is the second post I read on the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. The first one gave me a tour during the day. Thanks for covering the night time! ;0) Good luck with your preparations for your trip next month! I am looking forward to read your adventures ;0)

Thank you very much @lymepoet for your comment! Yes, well, this was a night tour during the Christmas season.

Thank you! We're excited to head back to a sunny and summery Europe (hopefully) :)