![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
2023 April-May - London, UK (Day 7)
Thursday, 4 May 2023 23:06Bucket List # I don't really know LOL. I don't actually have a numbered list :-)
Kew Gardens! Ever since I read (part of) that manga "Emma" where she visited the Kew Gardens (don't remember exactly if that was that though, it's been a long time!), I've been wanting to visit too! Including this time, I've been to London 3 times. The first time, my travel friend was pushy with going with where she wanted to go and I had no say. (I had to "run away" early one morning while she slept just to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum because on the previous day, while on the way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, she saw a bus that read "London Zoo" and decided we'd go to the London Zoo.) The second time was a trip in January, so that travel friend (a different person) vetoed going to the Kew Gardens because it's winter. Well, this time I made sure I'd be going.
So in my research I saw that you can have a picnic in Kews, so I searched for takeaway picnics, and found this Newens. I made the online order 2 days ahead, set the pick up time for 11:00am. On the day, we arrived early, 10:40am, so went in to ask. Apparently they didn't pack it up yet, and said they'd pack it up right then. Then people started coming in, and they served those people instead, and in the end, I got my order at 11:15. WTF? And when the lady handed me the bags she asked, "do you want to heat up your quiche?" I was like, "nah, if it could be eaten cold as-is, then I'd rather not, thanks."
So I had ordered 2 sets of picnics, and we ate one set first, because we didn't have breakfast yet. The remaining food was kept for later. So this Original Maids of Honor tart was... pretty much like a Pastel de Nata, just with less custard.
Ducky (or Goosey) walks around us waiting for scraps. Sorry. No scraps for you.
The Hive was a nice surprise, I only learned of it when I arrived and picked up a paper directory. Spent some time playing with the phone camera timer and watch controlled shutter.
Because the ground was some translucent-ish materials, scaredy-cat friend was afraid of stepping into this.
Soon friend got moody and demanded to sit down. I made a joke asking "I thought you said you hiked with your mom?" and she retorted angrily "I haven't hiked with my mom for a long time! I do yoga!"
"Well, I'm just repeating what you said. You said you're much better now than before and than Priscilla (made up name of her friend, she is obese and can't walk much), so you'd be okay with walking. I'm not putting words in your mouth. You said so yourself." And she shut right up because, I wasn't lying.
In any case, we did quite a lot of walking. I think we managed to visit all the greenhouses (I think).
Random shots at Kew Gardens for your enjoyment:
I saw some guy with a pro-looking camera trying to shoot this duck at this angle, so I shot the same too LOL.
All so pretty. I really enjoyed ny walk here.
I'm just randomly posting photos so I'm not sure if I got the succulents here, but anyway, upon seeing some of the succulents, I was like "ooooh I've seen this, I know this, and I have this!" and as i'm writing this, I just remembered I meant to water my plants before I went on holiday, sh*t. Hope the not-succulents aren't dead yet.
Stopped for the remainder of the food. Didn't manage to finish though. We kept the scones for later.
This raven was having fun on the seat.
This... installation? was interesting too.
Me with the bag with the leftover scones haha.
More greens.
The Treetop walk was amazing! Though, I have to admit, my knees were starting to feel it. After this trip, I'm going to have to rest my knees.
Scaredy-cat friend is scared sh*tless of these see-through flooring, so she stayed put at ground level. And a random exhibit at the Treetop walk.
It was getting late and I rushed to the pagoda. Didn't climb up it though.
Once again, I just couldn't resist this vertical panorama shot.
You know, I went to Tokyo, Japan to see the sakura trees (cherry blossom) but here in London it's like there's more of them than in Japan.
Temperate House.
Another beautiful spiral staircase!
Truth betold, I am somewhat afraid of heights, but in this situation, where there's a railing, it's fine. It's when the railing or barrier is low then I'd start to feel vertigo.
Seems like I just like the spiral staircases.
Tulips.
Another spiral staircase, this one in the Palm House.
It was hot and stuffy inside (but of course).
Okok, last of these spiral staircase selfies.
I love this restaurant already for saying cash only LOL.
There was still time, so after blundering with the return (I did not realize the same train track served 2 or more different lines), I managed to save it and go back to Baker Street. Finally brought my friend to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I said I've been to already so I'm not going in. Scaredy cat friend, decides not to go in (because she can't go in by herself). So we roamed the gift shop, but it was SO SAD! I remember there having more merchandises! There's only so few stuff now! I'm so glad I did get my Sherlock Teddy back in 2016!
I saw a greeting card with this "Strawberry Thief" pattern. I didn't get it, because I have no use for a greeting card, instead I saved this image haha. To skip over a few days, I later do buy a eyeglass cleaning cloth of this pattern.
Oh yeah, friend said she wanted to have a "Stargazy Pie". You can Google it, but basically, it's a Cornish pie that has sardines sticking in and out of it as if gazing up in the sky. I did a hella lot of research and found a restaurant that had it. So off we went!
A Fuller Ale and Pie House called The Blackbird. But apparently all that research I did was the result of a seasonal promotion. So there was no more Stargazy Pie on the menu. Might as well get a pie sharing board for 2.
Kew Gardens! Ever since I read (part of) that manga "Emma" where she visited the Kew Gardens (don't remember exactly if that was that though, it's been a long time!), I've been wanting to visit too! Including this time, I've been to London 3 times. The first time, my travel friend was pushy with going with where she wanted to go and I had no say. (I had to "run away" early one morning while she slept just to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum because on the previous day, while on the way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, she saw a bus that read "London Zoo" and decided we'd go to the London Zoo.) The second time was a trip in January, so that travel friend (a different person) vetoed going to the Kew Gardens because it's winter. Well, this time I made sure I'd be going.
So in my research I saw that you can have a picnic in Kews, so I searched for takeaway picnics, and found this Newens. I made the online order 2 days ahead, set the pick up time for 11:00am. On the day, we arrived early, 10:40am, so went in to ask. Apparently they didn't pack it up yet, and said they'd pack it up right then. Then people started coming in, and they served those people instead, and in the end, I got my order at 11:15. WTF? And when the lady handed me the bags she asked, "do you want to heat up your quiche?" I was like, "nah, if it could be eaten cold as-is, then I'd rather not, thanks."
So I had ordered 2 sets of picnics, and we ate one set first, because we didn't have breakfast yet. The remaining food was kept for later. So this Original Maids of Honor tart was... pretty much like a Pastel de Nata, just with less custard.
Ducky (or Goosey) walks around us waiting for scraps. Sorry. No scraps for you.
The Hive was a nice surprise, I only learned of it when I arrived and picked up a paper directory. Spent some time playing with the phone camera timer and watch controlled shutter.
Because the ground was some translucent-ish materials, scaredy-cat friend was afraid of stepping into this.
Soon friend got moody and demanded to sit down. I made a joke asking "I thought you said you hiked with your mom?" and she retorted angrily "I haven't hiked with my mom for a long time! I do yoga!"
"Well, I'm just repeating what you said. You said you're much better now than before and than Priscilla (made up name of her friend, she is obese and can't walk much), so you'd be okay with walking. I'm not putting words in your mouth. You said so yourself." And she shut right up because, I wasn't lying.
In any case, we did quite a lot of walking. I think we managed to visit all the greenhouses (I think).
Random shots at Kew Gardens for your enjoyment:
I saw some guy with a pro-looking camera trying to shoot this duck at this angle, so I shot the same too LOL.
All so pretty. I really enjoyed ny walk here.
I'm just randomly posting photos so I'm not sure if I got the succulents here, but anyway, upon seeing some of the succulents, I was like "ooooh I've seen this, I know this, and I have this!" and as i'm writing this, I just remembered I meant to water my plants before I went on holiday, sh*t. Hope the not-succulents aren't dead yet.
Stopped for the remainder of the food. Didn't manage to finish though. We kept the scones for later.
This raven was having fun on the seat.
This... installation? was interesting too.
Me with the bag with the leftover scones haha.
More greens.
The Treetop walk was amazing! Though, I have to admit, my knees were starting to feel it. After this trip, I'm going to have to rest my knees.
Scaredy-cat friend is scared sh*tless of these see-through flooring, so she stayed put at ground level. And a random exhibit at the Treetop walk.
It was getting late and I rushed to the pagoda. Didn't climb up it though.
Once again, I just couldn't resist this vertical panorama shot.
You know, I went to Tokyo, Japan to see the sakura trees (cherry blossom) but here in London it's like there's more of them than in Japan.
Temperate House.
Another beautiful spiral staircase!
Truth betold, I am somewhat afraid of heights, but in this situation, where there's a railing, it's fine. It's when the railing or barrier is low then I'd start to feel vertigo.
Seems like I just like the spiral staircases.
Tulips.
Another spiral staircase, this one in the Palm House.
It was hot and stuffy inside (but of course).
Okok, last of these spiral staircase selfies.
I love this restaurant already for saying cash only LOL.
There was still time, so after blundering with the return (I did not realize the same train track served 2 or more different lines), I managed to save it and go back to Baker Street. Finally brought my friend to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I said I've been to already so I'm not going in. Scaredy cat friend, decides not to go in (because she can't go in by herself). So we roamed the gift shop, but it was SO SAD! I remember there having more merchandises! There's only so few stuff now! I'm so glad I did get my Sherlock Teddy back in 2016!
I saw a greeting card with this "Strawberry Thief" pattern. I didn't get it, because I have no use for a greeting card, instead I saved this image haha. To skip over a few days, I later do buy a eyeglass cleaning cloth of this pattern.
Oh yeah, friend said she wanted to have a "Stargazy Pie". You can Google it, but basically, it's a Cornish pie that has sardines sticking in and out of it as if gazing up in the sky. I did a hella lot of research and found a restaurant that had it. So off we went!
A Fuller Ale and Pie House called The Blackbird. But apparently all that research I did was the result of a seasonal promotion. So there was no more Stargazy Pie on the menu. Might as well get a pie sharing board for 2.
