Botanica News Spring 2013/media/pdfs/botanica/newsletters/botanica...Small Ships with Botanica Having your floating hotel travel with you is a very relaxing experience that enhances
2
Small Ships with Botanica Having your floating hotel travel with you is a very relaxing experience that enhances our worldwide travels today. Cruising on the rivers of Europe is very smooth – as you glide along the waterways the only reminder that you are moving is the constantly changing visual landscape. So for anyone concerned about motion sickness this is an ideal way to travel. Cruising on the ocean is exhilarating for many, but we are often asked about motion sickness. When choosing an ocean cruise it is important to take into account how much sheltered coastal cruising there will be and does the ship have large stabilisers to keep it more balanced when there are rolling seas? No sea captain or cruise manager wants to take their ship or guests into very rough waters, so they will reroute to avoid this if possible, to ensure a gentle cruising experience. Whichever mode of small ship cruise you choose with Botanica, you can be sure we are always considering your comfort and safety as we plan new and exciting destinations that you can explore, often away from the crowded highways and tourist destinations that are so over populated today. Botanica News Spring 2013 Welcome to Botanica’s spring news with all the latest on our 2014 tours and cruises. Whilst some tours and cruises book out early, especially as we only operate small group land tours (maximum 28 guests) and small ships (100 – 130 guests), we do get some cancellations from time to time, so please ask to go onto our ‘waiting list’ as this nearly always clears and will give you the opportunity to travel with like minded Botanica guests. We are delighted to present a series of Chelsea Flower Show lectures throughout Australia during November with esteemed Chelsea Flower Show Judge and Founder & Owner of the English Garden Design School, Rosemary Alexander. Many of Rosemary’s students are gold medal winners at Chelsea Flower Show, so these lectures will be both stimulating and interesting. Please be sure to book early with the enclosed form. One of the great joys of being involved with Botanica are the fascinating people I meet and I am delighted to pay tribute to some of the extraordinary women who are influential in gardening around the world in our newsletter article enclosed. Many of you will be out in the garden this spring enjoying the fruits of your labours or perhaps you will be taking inspiration from visiting gardens or travelling in Australia or New Zealand with Botanica. I wish you an enjoyable spring gardening experience and hope that many of you will join me for a ‘spring in Europe’ in 2014. Judy Vanrenen Founder, Botanica World Discoveries Don’t be disappointed, book now to secure the suite of your choice for 2015 cruises and only pay 50% of the deposit. The remainder will be due in 2014 Garden Visits By Zodiac in the British Isles On a recent Botanica cruise I hosted around the British Isles, one of the biggest thrills for our guests was the amazing ‘buzz’ of arriving at the beautiful remote gardens by sea in a zodiac. No traffic to contend with, just beautiful coastal scenery and the opportunity to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the gardens without the crowds. Experiences like this are becoming harder to find as our world gets busier, but they do exist and Botanica is committed to finding them for our guests. The spring flowering rhododendrons, tulips, azaleas, laburnum, alliums and wild garlic were at their peak flowering and a joy to behold in late May. A popular private garden visited was that of ac- claimed author Helen Dillion in the heart of Dublin. Everyone could re- late to the small space she gardened in, but we were all in awe of the amazing plant collection and design elements she had incorporated into such a small space. It was also surreal to visit remote islands of the Inner Hebrides and meet the locals. Colourful and picturesque villages like Tobermory were wonderful to explore and it was inspirational to meet the Islanders on the private island of Gigha who have taken control of the their own destiny by owning and controlling their island and its beautiful garden of Achamore. Tresco Abbey Garden in the Scilly Isles was another amazing experience nestling next to white sandy beaches with its Mediterranean climate. In over 30 years of tourism travels, I don’t think I have ever had such an amazing experience as this 11 day cruise around the British Isles’. Judy Vanrenen. Botanica has some cabins still available for the 2014 British Isles Castles, Gardens, History and Birdlife Cruise of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Tour Code: BTBNC11 70 years since D Day Next year Botanica’s Seine cruise is visiting Normandy which played such an important part in D Day on 6th June 1944. Have the opportunity to visit Arromanches, the site where it all happened on this significant anniversary. Departing 15 May 2014. Tour Code: BTDSC8 My Tour with Botanica – Italian Lakes & Croatian Wildflowers by Lisa Kinsella Lisa Kinsella was the Botanical Guide for our Italian Lakes & Croatian Wildflowers tour this year. Lisa is the CEO of the Diggers Club and is based in Dromana, Victoria. Tell us about your trip Lisa… Our group loved our gardening adventure, not only because of the amazing places we visited (gardens and otherwise) but also because we could share the experience with other garden lovers, which made the depth of experience better than appreciating it alone. Which was your favourite garden to visit? I’d have to say each garden was amazing in it’s own way, Isola Bella was breathtaking, Villa Carlotta stunning in its botanical depth and execution, but for me Villa Balbianello was my favourite. The anticipation of the visit, arriving by boat to a jetty on Lake Como, made me feel like a movie star! The gardens were restrained, humble, yet beautiful, and our guide told the story of the gardens like it was her own. What was the most unusual garden you saw on the tour? The most unusual garden was Villa Gucetic in Croatia. You could just imagine it in its glory days when the sea faring men of Dubrovnik travelled the word and returned with their incredible bounty of plants and seeds for the owner to grow. I never thought this area of the world had such gardening passion, but the Lokrum Botanic garden has the largest range of Eucalypts outside Australia for this very reason. Which garden would you like to recreate at home? I loved Verona, what a stunning city. Our guide brought us to tears with the true story of Romeo and Juliet, and the shopping who would have thought! But in Verona was a garden I just wanted to put in my pocket and take home, Giardini Guisti (this is the garden on the front of the Botanica Brochure). Built in 1580 it was majestic in stature, but needed someone like me to move in and tinker, bring in a few flowers and dance around to the sound of the classic music drifting in from the ballet studio in the garden! What was your best memory of the tour? Dinner in the incredible walled city of Dubrovnik at an outdoor restaurant, being serenaded by classic guitar players, surrounded by 30 ft tall citrus shining in the moonlight, eating traditional Croatian food and laughing with my tour group. If you would like to see all of these wonderful gardens, Botanica has a tour departing on 25 May 2014. See page 15 of the Botanica 2014/15 Brochure. Tour Code : BTILC14 One of Judy’s Favourite Gardens – Cruden Farm Cruden Farm is a very special place, mainly due to a very special lady. Dame Elisabeth Murdoch directed and looked after the garden since 1928 when she arrived as a 19-year-old bride. The farm was a wedding present from her husband and provided the opportunity for her to grow the garden from scratch – for which she threw her heart and soul into creating. There is something magical about this garden, especially on a crisp misty morning. One of the most iconic features of the property is the driveway, lined with lemon scented gums, along with the lake surround- ed by rare Hawthorns and the Edna Walling Walled Garden. The Stables are also a beautiful feature of the property along with the quaint vegetable garden. Botanica has exclusive access to visit Cruden Farm. You can visit this wonderful garden on our Fork to Fork tour (22 November 2013) and Melbourne Autumn Leaves for Mothers Day Tour (8 May 2014). Cruise For Art & Gardens Lovers ‘Monet found the Seine Valley an ideal place to work and live….’ In addition to wonderful garden visits and lectures, art lovers can learn about the Impressionist artists of Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Pissarro on our Seine Cruise departing Paris on the 15th of May 2014. Highlights for art lovers include a visit to Monet’s Garden; a walking tour of Auvers-sur-Oise, a town famous for the Impressionist painters such as Cezanne, Pissarro and Van Gogh, who once lived there in the 19th Century; a visit to the house where Van Gogh died; a tour of Rouen, where Monet painted the sunlight effect at the end of the day at the city’s Cathedral in 1892; and Honfleur, another favoured haunt of the Impressionist artists. Accompanying the cruise is guest lecturer and art tutor, Hugh Brian Martin. An expert in art history, Hugh will provide lectures on board about the Impressionists and will conduct demonstration classes on the techniques of water colour for interested guests. For more information see the enclosed itinerary. Tour Code: BTDSC8 Hampton Court Flower Show This year Botanica sponsored the award winning Willow Pattern Garden at the Hampton Court Flower Show. This garden designed by Sue Thomas. The Willow Pattern gardens tells the story of unsuitable love: ‘the wealthy Mandarin’s daughter elopes with the humble bookkeeper, escaping from her enclosed palace across the bridge over the water.’ A beautiful cool garden with filled with hostas, hydrangeas and delicate clematis. The Hampton Court Flower Show is an annual Royal Horticultural Society event, set in the grounds of the beautiful Hampton Court Palace, former Summer Palace of King Henry the VIII. You can visit the Hampton Court Flower Show along with private gardens of South-West England including, Abbey House (home of the Naked Gardeners), Sarah Raven’s Cutting Garden (the wife of Vita Sackville-West’s grandson) and Highgrove (the private garden of Prince Charles- subject to availability). See page 12 of the Botanica 2014/15 brochure for more details. Departing 10 July 2014. Tour Code: BTUK09 botanica world discoveries For more information or to request a brochure call 1300 305 202, or visit www.botanica.travel All offers are subject to availability at time of booking. Offers are for new bookings only, until sold out and not combinable with any other offer or discount. Only for new bookings. Only one discount can apply. Australian Pacific Touring Pty Ltd ABN 44 004 684 619 Lic. No. 30112 MKT12109
