| Copyright Famocon Tours 2001 |
| Day 5 - London |
| We had been looking forward to today since we arrived. I guess we had heard so many people say how wonderful Kew Gardens are at any time of the year - but particularly in Spring and Autumn. There are two stations that visitors arrive at - Kew Gate and Kew Gardens, on different lines. We went from Victoria Station to Kew Gardens Station. When you arrive you walk through a charming little village with plenty of shops and down a tree lined avenue to the gardens. Be prepared to spend at least 4 hours in the gardens - they are quite extensive and it is easy to be absorbed in all the delightful scenery while wandering around parklands, ponds, formal gardens and picnic areas. Trees and shrubbery are very colourful as a backdrop to many of the water features. The gardens are bordered by the Thames and there are excellent viewing areas to watch all manner of boating traffic. Bird life is plentiful - we saw so many different species of duck, goose and swan. Huge heritage glass houses are essential places to see, including the Palm House, the Orangerie and the Lady Diana Exhibition. Other attractions are the Royal Palace, the Pagoda and the garden's shop. Lunch is available at the gardens or you can eat back at the village. We had a choice of what to do for the rest of the day. We could take in Windsor Castle which would certainly be one of the highlights of the tour and we would have done so if we had no long term plans to return. We do have such plans and so we decided to save Windsor Castle for our next trip. Instead, we went to the justifiably popular London Museum before wandering around Threadneedle Street, the Bank of England and the Guildhall. We had just enough time to go to the London Dungeons (near London Bridge) which closes at 6.30pm. They are not the most exciting attraction but the younger you are, the more appealing they seem to be - must be all that smoky and smelly atmosphere. Finally, tomorrow we get to see Buckingham Palace up close, despite living no more than 5 minutes away for the last 5 days. |
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