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Re-counting World Heritage sites: #47 (Kew Gardens)

The Rotal Botanic Gardens in London are recognized on UNESCO World Heritage List for their place in development of both garden art and botanical science. In our years of living in London, we only visited the place once and – as my Travelog entry attests – came away sufficiently impressed.

The grounds are vast, the variety of parkland, open spaces and landscaped gardens can satisfy all tastes, and the number of thematic attractions in various parts of the grounds can easily take a full day to enjoy. My eldest child developed an especial fascination with the exhibition of pepper plants, which somehow remains as one of my most vivid memories from our visit.

While we certainly had a camera with us on that visit, it was an afterthought. I only have a handful a photographs in our archives that were taken at Kew Gardens. They mostly captured architectural features, the Kew Palace and the Pagoda. Here are a couple of best shots:
 

Kew Gardens, London

 
 

Kew Gardens, London

 
The gardens are reachable via District Line of the London Underground. Plan at least half a day for a visit; add some picnic time, a look at the Kew Palace interior, and ensure that you check out all pavilions on the grounds – and you may not have enough time in a full day.