Kew Gardens

A few weekends ago, we stayed in Richmond (the town we go to church in) to watch an American couples' dogs while they were away. It was a nice little 'getaway' and we were able to spend more time with friends and exploring Richmond. We went out to dinner to celebrate some friends' birthdays, I grabbed coffee with another friend one morning, we went to the young adults group at church in the evening, overall we were able to be more involved in the stuff we can't always do because of the distance. 

While it snowed (beginning of April!) the first day we were there, the weekend was beautiful and sunny! After church, we took advantage of the nice weather and checked out Kew Gardens. Luckily one of Owen's professors had passes to Kew, so we were able to use those rather than spend a lot of money. The park is huge, about 300 acres, and while it was a little early in the season and not everything was in bloom, it was still a beautiful park. If we lived in Richmond we would definitely get memberships, it's a great place to picnic, run, and enjoy the precious sunny days. We spent a few hours walking around the grounds, checking out the greenhouses, and walking the tree top walk. My favorite greenhouse the tropical one, of course, not only did it have beautiful flowers but it was so warm! Here are a few favorites from the day.

The Pagoda

Japanese Gateway

Temperate House

Treetop Walkway

Almost felt like we were back in St Maarten

Davies Alpine House

Woodland Garden

Palm House and Rose Garden