The Eden Project is an outdoor conservatory and two biomes that model the conditions in the rainforest and Mediterranean climates. It uses sustainability as the thread through the different garden areas. The area where the project sets used to be a clay mine for the potteries, which basically leaves a blight on the countryside. The developers wanted to make something beautiful in this area, and teach people about how to live sustainable lives.
We read a lot of conflicting reviews on this, so here is our take. First, it can be a bit preachy if you choose to read every sign and watch every video. We didn't. We did learn a lot about sustainable practices around the world. I found it very interesting that some parts of the world use cloths to "catch" fog. The condensate falls into a type of a gutter, and is collected to use for watering. Paul found some hops to inspect - they're doing about as good as ours back home (not great).
Some reviews said it was overpriced. At 16 pounds admission for an adult (there are family rates available), it certainly wasn't inexpensive. But, as far as attractions go, this seemed reasonable. Residents of Britain can pay their admission fee as a donation instead, and get free admission for a year for the same price as one day - this is a great deal.
Some folks said it was overrated and boring. I'm not sure what they were expected, but we enjoyed the day. Of course, most of the day was spent looking at plants. If you don't like wandering through gardens, you won't enjoy the day too much. We don't have children, but there were a lot of things for kids to do. There was a green area with toys like hula hoops and more unusual things, and a guy giving instruction as needed. Story time in the garden was quite popular. In the core, they had giant machines that were hand cranked, along with other exhibits that were fun to look at. Kids could also collect stamps and solve puzzles around the gardens, so there was a lot of incentive for them to wander the gardens and find things. There was also an amusement center, and a "ride with Elvis." Elvis seemed a little out of place, but who am I to judge?
Bottom line: if you like gardens and learning about other cultures and sustainable behaviors, it's worth a trip. Even if you just like gardens, it's worth a trip. I loved the flowers. This is one of many that I snapped a picture of.
So, we walked around the lovely gardens, had a lovely lunch (home made with fresh local produce - lovely), and toured the biomes. The first biome was a Mediterranean climate. It had grapes, tomatoes, olive trees, and all sort of plants from the area. The second was the rainforest. It seems that Paul was not content to have me march around the English climate - cold and wet - now he was force marching me around the Amazon! It was beautiful, but it got hot and humid after a while. The cameras both got so fogged up we couldn't take many pictures. Paul's shirt and head were soaked by the end. It was enjoyable, but be sure to bring water and take your time if humid weather bothers you at all! I heard one fellow describe it like being in Orlando in August!
Back in Exeter, we had an Indian feast at Tandoori Nights in downtown Exeter. It was a wonderful dinner. On the first day, we had walked to this area. Today, we drove. It was 3.7 miles - one way! We probably walked at least 10 miles on that first day after you include all of the walking around town and the quay that we did. Wow.
Tomorrow, we drive to Nottingham to spend some time with Paul's family. We won't be doing as much sight-seeing, so I don't know how regular I'll be at blogging. I do have some more thoughts to share about England, so I might type some of those up for the novelty of it. We plan to stop at Gloucester on the way up - it's the midpoint, and the inspiration for one of Beatrix Potter's stories.
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