Kew Gardens
/Saw Kew Gardens and Wicked the other day. Kew is really nice, a good break from the city. Its almost on the last stop of the District line of the Tube. It rained on again & off again, so I darted from greenhouse to greenhouse. The main one is the largest surviving Victorian greenhouse. I saw some new plants, specifically the jade vine and the caulerpa. I was lucky, the jade vine in the first greenhouse bloomed two weeks ago, but the other one was in full bloom, and the color was really great. Like an Easter egg. The caulerpa is unusual in that it is made of only one cell, one of the largest in the world.
The last time I saw Wicked was on Broadway five years ago. It was great to see it a second time, but undoubtedly the show was different (not the slightest change was the English accents). This altered the original memory. I had this discussion with a couple in Dubrovnik, whether or not it is beneficial to revisit places. They had the souring experience of visiting a city a second time and it couldn’t live up to their previous standard. There are other plays I would like to see again (Tartuffe, Moonlight and Magnolias). The other thing is, especially when visiting cities, the first trip is about seeing the history and major sights. You cannot visit a place like London & not have seen Parlament or the London Eye, people will think you’re crazy. When the major sights are done, subsequent trips are to explore what makes that destination truly unique to its citizens. I’ve never been to some of the attractions where I live, but I can tell you all the best restaurants (for bbq and bacon cheese fries) as well as cool places to hangout. (photos)
