A day in Kew Gardens

Neither James nor I have ever visited Kew Gardens so we decided to head there on our last day in London. We walked ten minutes from our hotel to Blackfriars from where we could get a direct underground train, which took about half an hour. It was warm and sunny but not too hot; ideal for wandering around a park. We were not the only people to have this idea today so there was a queue to get in! However it moved steadily and soon we were inside the gates. I like Kew Gardens. Many of the paths are grass rather than tarmac so they are pleasantly springy to walk on, and there are plenty of different areas to see, some with beautifully planted formal flowerbeds and some more natural wildlife habitats, like the bluebell woods around Queen Charlotte's cottage. Appropriately, we were there when we heard by text from Jamie that the new princess is to be named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, so we were all wrong in our guesses. There are several eateries which are Victorian pavilions and we had a nice coffee sitting outside with a view of the pagoda. The gardens were well used but big enough not to be overcrowded. 

We went back to our hotel to collect our case and had a final drink sitting outside The Anchor at the tables overlooking the river. Then it was time to return to the small but civilised London City Airport for our flight home.