Our first day in England we went out to explore. We're staying in Richmond, a suburb south of London, and we are both in love with all the green lawns and massive trees. We walked about three blocks to the Thames and set off on the black-topped walking path next to the river. The path stretches for miles in either direction and is shaded by overhanging trees. We walked through Old Deer Park, Henry VIII's once-private hunting park. We saw acres and acres of green open grassy areas where people ran their dogs and joggers sprinted.

We followed the river path about 3 miles and came to Kew Gardens and Kew Palace, the country home of George III and his 15 children . Kew Palace is a modest brick house compared to other palaces and is open for tourists to view, but the real draw are the magnificent Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and glass greenhouses (http://www.kew.org/). These gardens are magnificent and even to this day are the home of botanical research. When the glass Palm House was built in the mid 1800's, it was quite a marvelous thing. Today, it still is impressive as the interior is a vast humid atmosphere that is home to thousands of tropical plants and huge palms. We took a brief introductory tour of the gardens and then explored on our own for a while, stopping for lunch at the Orangerie café. Then we toured the Kew Palace, country home of George III and his many children. The restoration is minimal but effective; you can imagine the king retreating to this smaller palace and many children playing in this house and on the garden grounds. After enjoying the gardens, we took the bus back to Richmond, tired but happy with all the beautiful trees and nature we experienced. We walked 7 miles today and my feet are tired! After a rest, we trudged a few more blocks to eat the best fish and chips I've ever had at the White Cross pub. What a great day! We're going to like it here.