Under the Dome

The prime displays at Kew are under glass, in the greenhouses which are arrayed across the grounds. The greenhouses provide tropical, temperate, and desert environments. The second floor of the tropical greenhouse puts you right in the midst of lush foliage.

English Roses

The English are great gardeners. With a mild climate and plentiful rain, gardens flourish. Roses are a favorite flower for English gardens, and Kew is no slouch. With some of the oldest and most beautiful specimens, both of roses, trees, and other plants from around the world, Kew is a joy to explore.

Greenwich Market

As it was Saturday morning, we visited the Greenwich Market. The booths and small shops sell fancy food, clothes, trinkets, jewelry, and lots of other funky items. We ate some tomato and cheese foccacia bread as we browsed, and found a couple of gifts for the folks back home.

Royal Observatory

Greenwich is famous for the efforts of the Royal Observatory to assist ship navigation. Situated on a hill to the south of London, the Observatory kept track of time by watching the stars and pushing the development of accurate watches for ship captains. When the globe was divided by latitude and longitude, the line of 0 longitude was agreed to pass through the Observatory. The official date line is also here, hence Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT.

Tanks

Army equipment and vehicles fill the ground floor. The tanks and artillery pieces date from WWI and WWII. The thickly painted green metal was close enough to touch. It was great to walk around and take in the presence, the size of these weapons. There is also a moving tribute to the Holocaust.

The Armory

A great portion of the Tower’s arms are still on display within. The unbelievable number of guns has led to some creative racking. There are suits of armor for men and horses, and shiny swords, pikes and axes on the walls. The old rough stone is cold to the touch.

Fortress on the Thames

The Tower is a fortress, built for defense. There is a large moat between the inner and outer walls which is fed by the Thames. Since it is next to the river, the Tower can never be completely surrounded by troops. This also allows both royalty and prisoners to arrive by boat.

Hampstead Heath

London rises to the north, so that Hampstead Heath sits atop rolling hills looking down on the city. Londoners love to get out in the sun and enjoy the warm weather. Hampstead Heath is big. It’s green. It’s wild. It’s even got ghosts. The original highwayman, Dick Turpin, attacked carriages on the King’s Road here.

Primrose Hill

Walking in the various parks in London was a favorite weekend pastime for us. We lived one mile north of Primrose Hill, a prominence just north of Regent’s Park, and we often walked past the large private homes to get there from our flat.

Regent’s Park

Regent’s Park is an elegantly designed formal park in the heart of London. With the London Zoo, football fields, a boating lake, the Queen’s Rose Garden, and miles of landscaped paths it is a fabulous place for a stroll in the evening. Then a short walk takes you to the Baker Street station to ride home.

Buckingham Palace

It was a beautiful day when we saw Buckingham Palace. On Sundays the lanes around Victoria’s fountain are closed to traffic, so many people were out enjoying the sights. That day we walked through Green Park, to Westminster Abbey, past Parliament and 10 Downing Street, to Trafalgar Square.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is an amazing sight. English monarchs since 1066 have been crowned in this church. Many monarchs and famous persons are buried there. The French Gothic architecture remind me of Notre Dame.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a central location for all sorts of events. There was a festival the day we walked in with music and dancing. From here we walked along the Strand, past Charing Cross station, got dinner and took the Underground home.

Persian Temple

A complete Persian temple was unearthed at Nimrud in northern Iraq. Clay reliefs and cuneiform wall carvings are on display in several long rooms. The Winged lions guarded the entrance to the throne rooms of Ashurnasirpal II.

Rosetta Stone

The most merchandised item at the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone. After seeing so many desktop models and jigsaw puzzles I was quite suprised by the size of the stone. On it’s platform the stone is as stall as a man, four feet wide and five tall. Discovered in 1799, it was the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglypics.

A Sea Power

My favorite parts of the museum are the skeletal exhibits. Diggers unearthed this plesiosaur in Britain. Bones, shells, and entire skeletons of marine animals embedded in stone cover the entire wall.

Dinosaurs

The main dinosaur exhibit hall is artfully lit, highlighting the shapes of the bones and casting cool shadows on the ceiling. Huge skeletons dominate the space, at ground level and on a catwalk above.