Along the mountain road

Somehow it tugs at my heart:

A wild violet. 

-Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Sometimes I get lost in my previous travels, and all the photos taken along the way. There is no particular order by which I publish my posts- sometimes it's about inspiration, sometimes it's the latest trip I took, sometimes a trip I took some time ago, and its story waiting to be told. Last month I wrote an incomplete guide to London, which naturally left me with a lot of unpublished, but in my opinion, quite beautiful photos, especially from Kew Gardens, as nature always sparks my photography inspiration. Some of the photos I'm sharing here are taken by me, the others by my husband Luka. We came to Kew on October afternoon, which except for being a bit chilly, turned out to be the perfect timing both for the colors of the leaves that started to turn yellow, red and brown, but also for the late afternoon light that pierced through the branches of the trees and over the river Thames. I would love to come back in spring, to observe the changes and the rush of colors and life coming into the garden. 

Kew Gardens is a Unesco World Heritage Site, situated in the town of Richmond, south-west London. It houses 'the most diverse collection of living plants of any botanical garden in the world' raging from tropical to alpine climates, but it is also a vast, picturesque green space with majestic heritage trees dating back to 18th century, duck ponds framed by carefully selected plants to create colorful scenes, bursting flower beds, a gallery and a library with botanical prints and drawings, and architectural features that are worth exploring alone. I read that scientists estimate Kew's 14.000 trees absorb approximately 8.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide from London's air every year! It is not one of those tourist attractions you take photos of and then only briefly pass by, so allow yourself a couple of hours for relaxing, taking in the views, observing the birds and the squirrels, enjoying a bird view from the Treetop Walkway, having a cup of tea in one of the cafes. Gardens are the essential part of British culture, and what better way to travel than to try immersing yourself in another culture. Should you decide to visit Kew Gardens, here is where you can start planning. Since this post is aimed to be a photo diary, I'm leaving you to the atmospheric world of Kew Gardens.