Day 3: Chiselhurst and Downe

After starting the day off with some delicious English breakfast tea and toast, we took the national rail out to the London suburb of Chiselhurst, where we checked into our adorable hotel called the Bull's Head. Soon after dropping our luggage off, we hopped on the bus headed for Downe. We had a short layover in Bromley, where I grabbed some more caffeine at the local coffee shop and walked around the shopping center for a few minutes (with a brief stop in the Disney store of course!). We eventually arrived in Downe, a very, very small town consisting of a couple pubs, a church, a town hall, and many beautiful English country estates. 

The church at Downe, where Emma Darwin is buried. 

We ate lunch at The Queen's Head pub. United States World War I soldiers (Eagle Squadron) would come here to drink beer, as their airport was only a few miles away. 

After lunch, we hiked a half a mile to Orchid's Bank, where Charles Darwin did his pollination studies of plants. 

(We got distracted by the horses along the way)

Our wonderful guide, Irene Palmer, teaching us about all of the different plants. This one had a particular adaptation that made it wind itself around other plants to grow taller so it could reach sunlight. 

Bees pollinating the flowers!

The treacherous path we climbed down into the valley and Orchid's Bank. 

Bee Orchid. It has adapted itself to look like a bee! (That's not a bee on the flower, that's the actual flower)

This one is a fly orchid. It adapted to fit the shape of a digger wasp perfectly (this is the only insect that pollinates them). 

After the Orchid Bank, we hiked around to the Down House, Darwin's adult home. It was a beautiful home. His wife, Emma, was a very accomplished pianist and her original piano is still at the house! It is an English-built Broadwood grand piano built in the 1800s and it was a very beautiful piano. His gardens were also gorgeous!

Beautiful English countryside meadow on Darwin's estate. 

Front of the Down House

Rear of the Down House

We took a double decker bus back to our hotel for the night where we had dinner in a pub. It was so good! I ordered what I thought was grilled cheese, but it was actually just a cheese sandwich not grilled. Still very good though! I sampled a few delicious cheeses and chutneys as well.