NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON: A Few of Our Favorites

Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton in front of the Natural History Museum, London.

On our recent trip to London, the Natural History Museum was our first stop. The museum is enormous and you can’t possibly see it all in one visit. And even if you do have time, it is best to decide which things to focus on. Our main goal was to see the exhibit of the winners of the yearly photography competition—100 photos selected from more than 4000 entries. We also wanted to revisit some of our favorite parts of the museum.

Blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall.

We walked to the museum from our hotel near the South Kensington tube stop and entered at the East Gate, where we followed a path through the Evolution Garden to get to the Central Entrance. The museum is free, but we had to line up to go through security. Once inside, the giant skylit space of Hintze Hall loomed before us, with a huge whale skeleton hanging overhead and a grand staircase leading up to a statue of Charles Darwin.

Art with Statue of Charles Darwin.

After paying our respects to Darwin, we stopped at the information booth to pick up a map and get directions to the photo exhibit. The map divides the museum into four color coded zones. We focused on the Green Zone which includes birds, the wildlife photographer of the year gallery, fossil marine reptiles, and treasures of the museum, where we saw the fossil skeleton of Archaeopteryx, the first bird.

Caroline with fossil of giant sea reptile collected by Mary Anning.

On our way to the photo exhibit we passed by the amazing display of fossil skeletons of giant marine reptiles, many of them collected by Mary Anning in the nineteenth century. During the Dinosaur Age the oceans teemed with these huge reptiles.

Wild Photographer of the Year Gallery.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo exhibit requires a ticket, which we purchased at the entrance. Each photo in the exhibit was backlighted so that it glowed in the partially darkened room and was accompanied by a label with the title, photographer’s name and other pertinent information. What surprised me was not only the diversity of the subjects and locations where they were shot, but the variety of cameras—ranging from specially designed equipment to a simple iPhone.

Photo of moth camouflaged against tree bark--taken with an iPhone.

Having worked with photographers on many of my books, I know how hard it is to get just the right shot. I appreciated a quote mounted on one wall of the exhibit: It is vital to be patient and wait for the moment that completes the story you are trying to tell, even if it takes hours or days or weeks, or sometimes even years. (Akansha Sood Singh, natural history filmmaker)

Models of two dodos. Extinct since 1681 due to overhunting, habitat loss and predation by other animals.

The exit from the photo exhibit was through the museum gift shop where it was possible to buy postcards and books of the images in the exhibit. We then visited the bird room in search of the Archaeopteryx fossil but got sidetracked by a case full of birds that have gone extinct, including the dodo, which once lived on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. Although we found a cast of Archaeopteryx in the bird room, we learned that the actual fossil, one of the most valuable items in the museum’s collection, was upstairs in the room of treasures. So we trudged up the stairs to find it.\

Fossil of Archaeopteryx embedded in limestone. You can see impressions of feathers attached to the wings.

After viewing Archaeopteryx and the other museum treasures it was time to sit down and have some refreshments, which we did in the Central Café behind the stairwell on the main floor. We had seen many of our favorites and been inspired by the photo exhibit. We’ll come back another day to see more.

Main entrance to the Natural History Museum, London.

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY: A Walking Tour of the Old Town and Castle

Heidelberg, Germany. Church of the Holy Spirit.

The historic city of Heidelberg, situated on the banks of the Neckar River, is the home of the oldest university in Germany (founded 1386) and exudes the charm of an earlier era. In late April, while my husband was attending a conference, I had the opportunity to explore the Old Town and Castle, taking a self-guided walking tour of the cobblestone streets and riding the funicular up to the castle grounds. It was a beautiful sunny spring day with flowers blooming and trees beginning to leaf out.

Walkway along the Neckar River. The Neckar is a tributary of the Rhine.

The city of Heidelberg developed along the banks of the Neckar River. Before diving into the maze of the Old Town streets I took a short walk along the Neckar on a shady tree-lined path.

Shops on the Hauptstrasse.

Once inside Old Town I followed a map from the Tourist Center that identified key historic buildings, including houses, churches, businesses, departments of the university, and other significant sites. The main street, Hauptstrasse, runs the length of the Old Town paralleling the river and is for pedestrians only. Lined with shops and eateries, it is meant for tourists.

Cobblestone street in the Old Town.

Typical house decoration.

Side streets are narrow and lined with colorful building framing the wooded hillside beyond. I followed one street into the courtyard of the Jesuitenkirche, which dates back to the 17^th century. When I pulled open the heavy wooden doors and went inside I was greeted by a light and airy interior, giving the space a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Interior of the Jesuitenkirche.

Ruach. Wood sculpture by Bernhard Apfel in the Jesuitenkirche.

But then, on my way out, I was caught by surprise when I looked up and saw a carved wooden figure, bright red, perched over the entryway. Unlike the rest of the more traditional decorations in the church alcoves, this was a modern piece. A sign explained (in both German and English) that she was a Ruach, or a feminine depiction of the Holy Spirit. She was created by wood sculptor Bernhard Apfel.

Church of the Holy Spirit and marketplace.

The huge Church of the Holy Spirit, the largest church in Heidelberg and one of the oldest, constructed from 1398 and 1515, is located in the historic market place of the Old Town. 

View of the castle ruins from the Old Town.

From there I followed signs to the castle, which sits on the hill overlooking the town. There is a walking path to the castle grounds (very steep) or you can ride the funicular. I chose the funicular. The ticket includes the price of entering the castle courtyard. The vast grounds and gardens around the castle are free.

View from the ramparts of the castle. The wooded hillside on the opposite side of the river is full of hiking trails including the famous Philosopher's Walk.

Old bridge over the Neckar. View from the castle.

One of the primary reasons to visit the castle is for the spectacular view. The castle’s history goes back to medieval times but in 1693, after it was destroyed during the Palatine War of Succession, has not functioned as the seat of government since. It is most famous as a ruin. Nineteenth century painters, writers and travelers loved it. The English painter James M. W. Turner painted it surrounded in evocative mists. Mark Twain visited it and wrote about it in his book A Tramp Abroad. “A ruin must be rightly situated, to be effective. This one could not have been better placed. It stands upon a commanding elevation, it is buried in green woods, there is  no level ground about it, but, on the contrary, there are wooded terraces upon terraces…..Nature knows how to garnish a ruin to get the best effect.”

Lilacs at the castle.

Within the castle courtyard a few buildings have been renovated. One of these has become a Pharmacy Museum, displaying old pharmacy equipment and exhibits about the history of medicine. My favorite room was for children, which included a display of an old pharmacy in miniature.

Restored building in the castle courtyard house the Apothecary Museum and a restaurant.

Miniature old-fashioned apothecary shop displayed in the children's room of the museum.

I had packed a sandwich and enjoyed my picnic lunch at a table of an outdoor café on the castle grounds before walking to the funicular station for a ride back down the hill. I then retraced my steps through the Old Town to the bus stop that would take me to my modern hotel. But for the few hours I spent in Heidelberg's Old Town and Castle, I felt like I had traveled back in time.

View from the Castle.

BONSAI AND SUISEKI IN THE GARDENS AT LAKE MERRITT, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Bonsai Maple in the Gardens at Lake Merritt, Oakland CA.

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took the photos in this post in March 2026, unless otherwise credited.

The Gardens at Lake Merritt, Northwest Gate.

During a visit to The Gardens at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, my favorite of the many themed gardens* within was the Bonsai Garden, especially because I learned about suiseki, a formal Japanese art new to me.

Bonsai Garden gate.

The Bonsai Garden entrance gate was designed and built by Hiroshi Sakaguchi, a craftsman in the ancient Japanese art of joinery woodworking, which uses no glue, nails or screws. Men in Sakaguchi’s family have practiced this tradition for over 600 years.

Bonsai.

Inside the walled garden, some regular-size trees provided leafy shade and others were in full bloom. The bonsai trees included diverse examples such as cedar, filbert, redwood, and several different maple species.

Bonsai maple.

But given the sun angle, my two favorite photos happen to be of Japanese mountain maple (Acer palmatum, above and at the top of this post).

Flowering plants in bonsai pots were on display. In the above photo, a metal sculpture of an ant of monstrous proportions is on guard duty.

A small, open shelter housed examples of suiseki, natural stones evocative of landscapes or other images. I have seen such in Japanese, Chinese or Korean art displays, but I didn’t know how widespread and sophisticated the Japanese art of stone appreciation is. In the following days, I read about the many esthetic criteria that guide the selection of stones: not only their shape, but also picky aspects of their surface, color, and other characteristics. More preferences include minimizing alterations and keeping wooden bases simple.

Rabbit.

Suiseki artist Hiroshi Suzuki found “Rabbit” in Northern California.

Winter in the High Mountains.

Suiseki artist Brent Meran found “Winter in the High Mountains” on the Eel River in Northern California.

Outside of the Bonsai Garden, some areas were charmingly disheveled. Others looked well maintained.

Alpine Rock Garden.

The tidy Alpine Rock Garden included a landscaped mound in the middle, surrounded by a dozen concrete planters, each one roughly the size of a coffee table. Rocks and plant arrangements suggested miniature mountain or desert views rather successfully.

Lake Merritt. Photo courtesy of A. Do.

From the gardens northwest entrance gate, walking across the gardens and out through the south gate leads to the shore of Lake Merritt, which became the nation's first formally declared wildlife refuge in 1870. A paved path goes 3.4 miles (~5.5 km) around the lake, with views of wild birds and small islands against the urban background. I liked spending half a weekend day visiting the area for the first time!

Footnote:

* Areas within The Gardens at Lake Merritt:

- Alameda County Master Garden

- Alameda County Master Trial Garden

- Air Bee N' Bee

- Alpine Rock Garden

- Bay Friendly Garden

- Bonsai Garden

- Dahlia Garden

- Entry Garden

- Firescape Garden

- Fukuoka Sister City Garden

- General Pollinator Garden

- Japanese Garden

- Lu's Garden

- Mediterranean Garden

- Merritt College Community Garden

- Merritt College Horticulture Community Gardens

- Palmettum

- Rhododendron Garden

- Riparian Garden

- Rose Garden

- Sensory Garden

- Succulent Garden

- Sun Dial Garden

- Toddler Garden

- Understory Garden

- Urban Edible Gardens

- Vireya & Begonia Garden

SRI LANKA--BEAUTIFUL GARDENS, TEA PLANTATIONS and MORE, Part 2: A Guest Post by Susan Kean

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George went on a trip to Sri Lanka in March, touring the island country with a focus on plants and gardens. Susan has graciously shared her impressions and photos with The Intrepid Tourist. Thank you, Susan! This is the second of two parts.

Different types of tea. When the country changed its name to Sri Lanka, they kept the Ceylon name for the tea, as it was well-known worldwide.

The next part of the trip was a visit to a tea plantation and Victoria park in Nuwara Eliya, part of the town that is known as little England. They have a Turf Club with horse racing. Generally there are very few horses in Sri Lanka--all the cart pulling and farming is done by cattle.

Picking tea.

Chest of tea.

The Tea Plantation we visited was Glenloch Estate founded in 1917. All the tea is hand- picked. We saw how the tea is dried, shredded and allowed to ferment. Then it is sorted into different size leaf pieces and the leaf stems are removed.

Enjoying a cup of Orange Pekoe tea. Thank you to our guide Nuwan for the photo.

Our trip to Sri Lanka was primarily to look at plants. It is a lush verdant island. They say everything ever planted has grown! We experienced the hot humid lower regions as well as the cooler higher areas. There are dry zones and wetter rain forests and everything in between. Because there are so many flowers, there are amazing butterflies. Large 6” across to tiny ones. I didn’t have much luck photographing them!

Rice paddies. 

Rice is grown in large paddies. The beige brown line along the side of the road is rice drying. The locals lay it out to dry along the side of the road and drivers respect that. One place they had rice halfway across the road and drivers had to pass on the other side!

Terraced gardens.

In the cooler areas the hillsides were terraced to grow vegetables

Lunch dishes.

Our meals were lots of variety of curry and accompaniments. Beer seems to be the favorite alcoholic drink. Though wine is not common, we found some! We also got to sample toddy, their local drink made from fishtail palm.

Girls on their way to school.

We saw girls going to school wearing white uniforms and long ties. The population is as highly educated as the US up to High School graduation. Fewer go on to University. It is much more competitive.

Beautifully laid out bedding plants in Victoria Park.

Sri Lanka is a bit smaller than Ireland with a population of about 23 million … Ireland has about 5 million! In US terms it is similar to the size of West Virginia! They export textiles, tea and spices.

Buddhist shrine.

Religion-wise it is primarily Buddhist, with about 10% each Hindu and Muslim. About 7 % are Christian. Our experience was that the people of Sri Lanka seem to be a gentle people. We never heard a raised voice! They seem to drive well. We covered a lot of miles and saw NO traffic accidents even though there is a lot of traffic. 

In the orchid house at the Botanic Garden.

SRI LANKA, BEAUTIFUL GARDENS and MORE, Part 1: A Guest Post by Susan Kean

Sri Lanka, Buddhist Temple.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George went on a trip to Sri Lanka in March, touring the island country with a focus on plants and gardens. Susan has graciously shared her impressions and photos with The Intrepid Tourist. Thank you, Susan! Her report is in two parts. The second half will post next week.

We arrived at Colombo airport, Sri Lanka on a Sunday afternoon on a direct flight from Heathrow. We were a little late as the plane detoured around the airspace over Iran, etc.

Muthurajawela Mangrove Reserve

Our first experience was a boat trip a mangrove area to look at the plants and wild life.

There are just four of us in the group! The next morning we packed up and drove (they drive on the left) about two hours to Sigiriya in a beautiful national park area. 

We saw various monkeys chasing around the vegetation, which is very lush with all kinds of interesting trees and flowers.

Sigiriya Rock

We walked around the bottom of the Sigiriya rock, a fortress built in 477 AD. It is 1000 steps to the top. We decided to leave that climb until the next time!

View of the Knuckles Mountains.

We then spent two nights in Kandy. It is in higher country and we enjoyed magnificent views, interesting flowers and extraordinary butterflies in large numbers.

We visited a spice farm and learned how nutmeg, cloves, cardamom grow. Spices are a big industry in these parts.

Labyrinth in the Royal Botanic Garden.

The water lily is the Sri Lanka national flower.

Flower of the Cannon Ball tree. Fruits are about the size of coconuts. We are seeing lots of them too.

We spent time in the Royal Botanic Garden and saw all kinds of plants, many familiar to California gardeners

Flowers are presented at the shrine of the Buddha's tooth.

Lastly we were taken on a tour of the Buddhist Temple and learned about the Buddhist faith. We took our shoes off and hats to walk through.

Buddhist Temple.

The colors of the flag represent the five ethical guidelines of Buddhism. Respect life, Abstain from theft and fraud, refrain from sexual misconduct, speak with honesty, and do not get intoxicated. Summarized as the path to a successful life is through wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline.

Part 2 will post next week.