Paris/Chelsea Flower Show Tour 2013

May 15-24, 2013

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS JUST THE SHORT VERSION OF THE TOUR. THE FULL LONG DAY BY DAY WILL BE PUT UP LATER THIS YEAR. But all the DETAILS ARE HERE TO MAKE YOUR DECISION AND THE REGISTRATION FORM IS HERE AS WELL. FOR ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT donna@icangarden.com  and I would be happy to answer your queries on it.


I love doing this tour! Paris and London are two of the most historic and green cities in the world with so much to do and so many things to see. The best way of seeing them is to get out and walk … you will have free days in each city to enjoy them and visit the places that you have on your list that will make your trip just that much more memorable. This tour always books up so get your registration in soon on it to secure your spot.

15 May 13 Arrival into Paris and make your way to your hotel, Time to relax before we meet for our Welcome dinner.

16 May 13 Today after breakfast it is a full and fascinating day of visits. We start with Musee Rodin - The Hôtel Biron is a jewel of Parisian rocaille architecture, with its park that covers nearly three hectares, adding to its immense attraction. You will see the 'Gates of Hell' and 'The Thinker' in the rose garden. The gardens were looking beautiful when I last saw them.

Then a garden tour of the Artists Garden at the Musee du Quai Branly - protected by a glass palisade under the museum’s stilts, this garden designed by Gilles Clément looks beautiful in spring blooms. As we stroll with a guide we will enjoy the paths and clearings, the edge of the water plans, and the diversity of plants that have been acclimatized to the Paris environment to avoid disturbing the ecological balance with foreign species.

From there it is next door to see an incredible vertical wall planting by Patrick Blanc that the Museum has done on their administration building...it truly is awesome! Called Le Mur Vegetal in French, this system allows both plants and buildings to live in harmony with one another.

We will fit in an Afternoon Tea at the beautiful Angelina Room at Printemps under the legendary dome of the listed cupola!

Then finish off the day with the Musee de L'Orangerie - to see something very special - the panoramic cycle of paintings, the Nymphéas (Water Lilies) by Claude Monet.

And finally a delightful relaxing cruise on the River Seine

17 May 13 Today after breakfast...is your day of Leisure! Not so as I expect you have a list of things you want to see. Enjoy the day and if you want to take in a show in Paris, tonight would be a good night to do it.

18 May 13 After seeing the water lilies at the Musee de L'Orangerie you are ready to see Fondation Claude Monet, his home and gardens. We drive into the beautiful countryside and reach our destination in plenty of time to see not only the gardens but his house too. We must make time to visit the Studio which is now a huge giftshop for that special memento before strolling through the village of Giverny. A wonderful walk with lots of shops and gardens along the way to the Hotel Baudy where we meet for lunch. Then time to see their rose gardens and still some more time to walk down to the end of the street to see where Monet is buried, passing by the Musee des impressionnismes Giverny and its wonderful pocket gardens. You will also be privy to one of the most special treats and that is the field of red poppies by the Museum, then we make our way back to Paris.

19 May 13 Today we visit another unique green area - Parc de Bagatelle - An Anglo-Chinese gem in western Paris – born of a bet between Marie-Antoinette and the Count of Artois, who had bought the property in 1775. He won...this property was turned into a park in just 64 days. Belanger designed it and Thomas Blaikie built it. Bagatelle park and chateau only barely eluded obliteration during the Revolution, but a string of owners altered them considerably. The orangerie, gates and stables date back to 1835, and the guard’s lodgings were built in 1870, along with the Trianon and the two terraces. The City of Paris bought this gem in 1905 and entrusted its head gardener, Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier, with the restoration work. He set out to turn these gardens into a botanical domain without upsetting the harmony that the existing layout had already established. He turned the subsistence crops into showcases for collections of roses, irises, perennials, clematises, peonies and other flowers.

20 May 13 Today after breakfast we leave Paris for London. Our coach transfers us to the Gare du Nord Station where we board our Eurostar train for a short ride to London. We have time to enjoy a coffee and go through all the photos we have taken, or write in our journals or perhaps just sit back and watch the scenery and chat with one another. Once into London our coach picks us up and takes us to our hotel where the rest of the day is at your leisure. This might be a good night to book a show.

21 May 13 Sissinghurst and Great Dixter today in the Weald of Kent...two very different gardens and styles. Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson will always be known for this garden but there is much more to their lives and at Great Dixter you will also have the chance to see where Christopher Lloyd actually worked on all his books. You will get your Show Catalogue for Chelsea on the way back so you can go over it for tomorrow! You will get hints on making the best of your day at Chelsea too!

22 May 13 Today is your Leisure day in London...make the best of it and it might be a good night to book a show too!

23 May 13 Early breakfast as we leave our hotel to be at the gates when they open for our Day At Chelsea!! I have gone to this show for years now and it never ceases to amaze me. The gardens, the products, the plant material...there is just so much to see so we will take to you the show and you can spend as long as you like and then when ready, make your own way back to the hotel. If you do leave early, there are places like Sloan Square which 'dresses' up for Chelsea to see and even another garden just down the road which is very old and very special. We will have our Farewell Dinner at 8 p.m. this evening to give you plenty of time during the day.

24 May 13 After breakfast it is time to leave…such memories to last a lifetime!
 

click on the above buttons for the complete tour day by day itinerary or the registration forms

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