Our family absolutely loves Light Walks at Christmastime and have done a bunch of events at Kew Gardens previously, so when I saw Halloween at Kew Gardens, I was pumped to see if the light walk feel could be translated to the Halloween concept. I didn’t want to spoil exactly what it was, so I just booked up tickets and parking, and then waited for the date to come around!
We both really love to visit the various exhibitions at Kew Gardens. After attending their Chihuly exhibition earlier this year, we couldn’t miss their Orchid Festival! The Orchid Festival aims to be an exploration of Indonesia, where there are over 5,000 different orchids – from small little flowers to vibrant, huge bundles. The exhibition is within the Princess of Wales Conservatory on the grounds. The cafe also has a themed menu around the Orchid Festival, and there are a few different Indonesia food carts that we saw dotted around. This event runs until March 8th.
After a quick walk through the park, we arrived at the Princess of Wales Conservatory. From the outside, it looked like a pretty small building, but that was nothing compared to what was within it! The first section took us through a small, almost desert like area that contained a few out coves to take photos at. This was more of an entry hall, that opened up to a much grander main area.
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Glass blowing is something that I have always found beautiful in a lot of ways. Dann says it’s because we see nature in glass as it almost shows movement and shaping in a way that we, as humans, compare to the world around us. When I was younger, my parents use to take us to a glass blowing studio, where a family friend would blow glass into bubbles and shape them or make stained glass windows. It was always so interesting to watch. When I saw that Kew Gardens was having a Chihuly collection, full of beautiful glass work which mimics nature, I just had to go along.
With Dann and my brother in tow, we went to their last night session, exploring the gardens completely light up, showcasing the glass work on a cool autumn evening. Arriving at Kew Gardens, which we’d never been to before, was a simple task. There was a short queue into the exhibition, which is nearly entirely outside. Once our tickets were checked, we were face to face with the first piece; a giant blue, spiky glass orb-type thing, that we had seen on all the advertisement, especially the images on the London underground.
Continue reading “Night out at Chihuly: Reflections on Nature at Kew Gardens”
Singapore often shows up in travel guides as a city of clean streets, luxury shopping, and fast-paced urban life. But spend a little more time wandering its corners, and you’ll start to notice a quieter side. This city has depth. It has stories tucked behind shophouse doors, flavors hidden in rooftop dining, and small businesses that add warmth to even the briefest visit.
For travelers who want more than just postcard-perfect views, this guide takes you through some of Singapore’s most memorable local experiences.
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Dann and I have been pretty into light festivals over the last few years. We have gone to Lightopia, Chihuly: Reflections and Ashford Illuminates – which have all had a different feel to them. When in Norway, we figured we’d check out Lumagica, which seems to be a worldwide light festival, but is not one either of us had heard of or attended before. Lumagica was a unique experience, but most closely seemed to be a mix of Chihuly and Lightopia, in the way it was set up and ran.
Continue reading “A Day Out at Lumagica – Light festival with impressive illuminations”
