Kew Gardens

My friend Daniella and I escaped the city life for an afternoon and went to Kew Gardens, the Royal Botanical Gardens in west London.You do have to stay on the District Line for quite a while to get there, and there is an entry fee, but it was worth it. We brought a picnic with us, but we stopped and looked through the "Palm House" a huge green house devoted to plants from near the equator. On the lower level of the Palm House there was also a small aquarium where we saw seahorses and jelly fish as well as other different fish species. 

We then went on to have our picnic on the grass beneath a tree. It was great because it was a sunny day, and the park had a lot of people walking around but no one really disturbed each other because we were all trying to take in the nature and the experience. We stopped in an area of the park to then take photos of us in a huge bush of hydrangeas. And then went on to a wooden structure they built to see the view from the trees, which was pretty nice, I enjoyed seeing how far the park could stretch on, and we did get a little bit of sun. 

Of course when glancing through the flyers they gave us at the entrance we saw that there was an ice-cream shop which sold orchid flavoured ice-cream. So that's where we headed next. We walked through the Queen's Garden and back around to the Café with the ice-cream. But they didn't have orchid ice-cream that day so we ended up choosing apricot, honey and yogurt flavour, which was incredible. 

We then went to look at the green house filled with cacti and succulents which is names the Princess of Wales green house. And then we went on to the Rock Garden. After that we walked through some shops and sat down in front of a chapel like house, to relax before going home.

Going to Kew Gardens was a perfect afternoon, and I'd probably go again, because we were unable to see the whole park in one day. Here's their website: http://www.kew.org/

Jardin Majorelle Marrakesh

The Jardin Marjorelle are in the new part of the city of Marrakesh. They are the botanical gardens of the city as well as gardens where Yves Saint Laurent worked and produced some of his most incredible controversial ideas. 

The designer who made the first female pant-suit and created the modern pret-a-porter concept was also interested in nurturing countries such as Morocco. Him and his partner Pierre Berge restored the botanical gardens to something much more beautiful than it previously was. There is in fact a memorial for Yves Saint Laurent within the gardens. 

This garden however isn't only a garden, it also includes a Berber museum, showing the population of the Atlas mountains and some of their traditions. The museum is organized in a very modern way compared to the other cites of the city. There are sheets of information in French, Arabic and English for each visitor to read while looking at the different displays. There also is a whole room dedicated to Berber jewelry which Daniella really loved. 

There is a room near the museum showing collages created by YSL showing the yearly cards he sent to his clients and friends for each new year. He sends his love, with the collage by writing the word "love" on each card every year. 

Next to this room there is the garden's restaurant which happens to serve a very interesting cold tomato soup which I found very refreshing and tasty. The spices in the soup give it a kick but its so cool that it slides perfectly down your throat in the blazing heat. This cafe also has some very interesting drinks which cannot be found else where so I advise you to stop there if you're looking for a refreshment. 

Sadly the Jardin Majorelle was really crowded throughout the whole time we were there and it was difficult to take good photos without several people in the background. But if you're looking for something a little different to do and see I really recommend it because nothing else throughout our whole trip was like this garden. 

Here's their website: www.jardinmajorelle.com

Victoria Park

Last bank holiday Monday I was able to go to the park with my flatmate Emily. We brought lunch, and we just sat down on a blanket and relaxed in the sun. But not too in the sun cause we didn't want to get burnt. Living in east London means that the closest park is Victoria Park, but to our surprise its also a really nice park. 

I think the park ambiance on a sunny day in London is probably what I liked the most. Little children running around, and cute dogs too. So many groups of people were playing ball sports and doing barbecues. It really felt like being part of the city. I didn't even read my book cause I was too busy people watching. I loved it. 

Emily occasionally got freaked out by a bug, but that's fairly normal to me. I hate hate hate bees. Overall, it was just a really good thing to do on a day off, because you could tell no one was in a hurry to do anything. I love days like that, just days to relax. 

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden

Across from Dalston Junction station there is a really cute garden. This garden is called "Dalston Eastern Curve Garden". It was created in 2010 where there was an old train station. There are beautiful daffodils and tulips around the seating area in the shade at the start of the garden. Further into the garden there are fatboy bean bags layed out for you to enjoy the sun.

There are children playing, people chatting, and even people alone trying to do work in the relaxing environment. One thing I really liked is that pretty much anyone can go there to enjoy the garden even if its not a public garden. There's also a little cafe set up at the entrance so that if you wish to have something to drink or eat you can. I got fresh green tea, and I personally got to see the woman preparing it for me taking the mint leaves off the plants that they grow in the garden.

The garden also has adult and children workshops set up throughout the year so that they can raise money and do more. Their current project is to build a pineapple house. A sort of green house to grown exotic fruits and normal vegetables so that they can provide for themselves all year round. I'm thinking of volunteering at the garden next year, because its always good to help and I really like what they've been able to do, and I'd love to get involved and help them grow. Here's the garden's website: http://dalstongarden.org/