Written by Isabella Pontecorvo ’17
Today was our first day in Kew Gardens, where we received a crash course in botany and learned how to identify the different parts of a plant in a more scientifically correct form. We had a brief break for simple English tea, which included chocolate biscuits. After our excellent tea and biscuits, we had a series of lectures that enunciated the difference between fungi and plants, taught us how much we depend on plants, and how we use plants in our daily lives. Later, after learning what we could do to help endangered plant species, it was time for lunch. Lunch was amazing, and we were astonished by the variety of goodies sent our way. Once we finished our meals, we headed out to the Kew Herbarium. A herbarium is a place where herbs and different species of plants are cataloged. It was utterly fascinating because some of the plants dated back over a hundred years. Our inside work was complete, so we headed out to the greenhouses in Kew. The gardens took our breath away, and were overflowing with diversity. One of the reasons Kew Gardens is so incredible is the way it is presented to the onlooker: Kew’s Victorian and modern buildings show us how the gardens have grown over time and how important it was, and still is today. Kew was extremely interesting and fun, but the gardens wore us out, so our caring adults took us out for burgers; which were fabulous, of course. Another exciting day in London complete, will we ever tire of this fantastic place?
Convent & Stuart Hall Travel 