Autumn Gardens of Normandy & Brittany

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1 Autumn Gardens of Normandy & Brittany September 2-11,

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3 Dear PHS Members and Friends, Please join PHS President Drew Becher in September 2015 for a nine day tour of autumn gardens in Normandy and Brittany. Susan Worner of SW Tours Limited, based in Great Britain, will be the tour leader. Upper Normandy has a wealth of extraordinary coastal gardens that enjoy a mild climate and acid soil. The inland country gardens set among apple orchards, rolling hills and forests are inspirational. Some gardens are contemporary, some walled potager gardens, but all have in common enthusiastic owners you will meet along the way. Your first hotel, Le Clos Masure, is set in the country near Dieppe. It is an original Norman farmhouse beautifully restored by its owners and has an excellent restaurant table d hôte where you ll enjoy many of your meals. Mid tour you will continue west to the beautiful unspoilt northern coast of Brittany. Between Roscoff and St Malo, the Gulf Stream creates an exceptional climate. Alongside the rocky coastline, through deep-cut inlets and in the inland wooded valleys, you will discover some extraordinary gardens in secret locations. Most gardens have been extended beyond their original farm or manor house by their present owners, who continue to be inspired by the climate, good soil and the ability to acclimatise plants from other parts of the world. Your hotel for this part of the journey is the contemporary Hotel les Costans, situated above the town of Perros Guirec and with impressive views to the seven islands off the coast that are home to colonies of seabirds. PHS is delighted to offer this extraordinary trip and we look forward to having you travel with PHS. If you have any questions, please me at sbetts@pennhort.org or call Sincerely, Suzanne W. Betts Membership Director

4 1 Itinerary 8 Flight Arrangements 9 responsibility Clause 10 Payment information 12 Tour Expectations 13 Reservation 14 Waiver Form All images are copyright Susan Warner Tours, 2014

5 DAY 1 Wednesday, September 2 Depart Philadelphia DAY 2 Thursday, Sept. 3 Lunch/Dinner Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport, we ll meet the coach to transfer to Normandy. We enjoy lunch in the village of Giverny followed by a visit to the superb gardens of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Later we arrive at our hotel, Clos Masure and enjoy dinner together in the hotel s excellent restaurant, table d hôte. Clos Masure, Hotel de Campagne (4 nights) 1

6 DAY 3 Friday, September 4 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner We ll begin the day with a morning visit to Le Jardin Plume, a fascinating contemporary garden where we will enjoy a guided visit with the owners, Sylvie and Patrick Quibel. Beginning in 1997, they have created a garden of structure with seasonal flowering plants and grasses around a typical apple orchard. Lunch will be in a nearby village. In the afternoon we visit Jardin d Angelique, a garden of prolific planting surrounding a 17th-century manor house. The Lebellegard family planted the garden in memory of their young daughter. Afterwards, we return to the hotel for dinner. DAY 4 Saturday, September 5 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Following breakfast we will visit Le Vasterival, the renowned garden of the late Princess Sturdza of Norway. This is an extensively planted garden offering year-round interest. Sybil Clamargan, well-trained by the Princess, will tell us more about the garden. Lunchtime is at a nearby restaurant. In the afternoon we visit L Etang de Launay, the recently created gardens of Jean-Louis Dantec, featuring high-pruned specimen trees leading to a lake and ponds with an extensive woodland planting. 2

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8 DAY 5 Sunday, September 6 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Our morning visit is to Chateau Miromesnil, the birthplace of well-known French writer Guy de Maupassant. It is known for its fabulous walled potager garden and elegant park. We ll enjoy lunch in the Chateau with the current owner, and then return to the coast to visit Le Bois des Moutiers, the house designed by Lutyens for Guillaume Mallet, and the extensive Arts & Crafts gardens created by Gertrude Jekyll. Before returning to the hotel for dinner, we will tour Shamrock, a specialty Hydrangea nursery. 4

9 DAY 6 Monday, September 7 Breakfast/Lunch Today we make our way to Brittany. We ll visit the beautiful topiary gardens of Chateau de la Ballue where we will also enjoy lunch. Later in the afternoon, we ll check into Hotel Les Costans, which offers stunning views of Perros Guirec and the sea. Dinner with regional specialities will be served in the hotel restaurant. Hotel Les Costans (4 nights) DAY 7 Tuesday, September 8 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Following breakfast, we ll visit the private manor house garden, Le Jardin du Pellinec. Inspired by the gardens at Kerdalo, the seven-acre garden on the Pellinec estuary was started 20 years ago. The microclimate has encouraged Monsieur Jean to grow a huge range of plants laid out in visual harmony. We ll lunch in the legendary gardens of Kerdalo, which were created by the late Prince Peter Wolkonsky, and considered one of the finest gardens in the region. Originally a manor farm in its enclosed valley with natural springs, the formal garden unfolds into the wooded valley with a lake, pools and grotto with a rich collection of trees and shrubs. The gardens are now looked after by his daughter, Isabelle, and her husband Timothy. 5

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11 DAY 8 Wednesday, September 9 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner In the morning we visit the personal garden of Isabelle and Timothy Vaughan, Crech ar Pape, which overlooks the bay with a formal plan, well planted with good colors and shapes. Heading south we stop for lunch at Guingamp and visit the innovative garden designed around a farmhouse surrounded by woodland. This is a remarkable contemporary garden with vistas, pools and topiary. We are welcomed by the owner and his capable gardener who will accompany us on a tour. We ll return to the hotel for dinner. DAY 9 Thursday, September 10 Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner Today we head west to visit the Roscoff Exotic & Botanical Gardens with an amazing collection of southern hemisphere plants. The gentle microclimate, influenced by the Gulf Stream, results in a superb variety of plants laid out on a hillside overlooking the bay. We ll enjoy lunch at a creperie in Roscoff before taking a boat to the Île de Batz to visit a coastal garden laid out in the early 1900 s by Georges Delaselle. We ll return to the hotel for a farewell dinner with local specialties. DAY 10 Friday, September 11 Breakfast Morning departure for Paris, Charles de Gaulle airport for the return flights or onward journey. We do not anticipate any changes to the itinerary but we reserve the right to make suitable changes if required. 7

12 Flight Arrangements Please contact Kathy Reed at Travel Answers for flight arrangements. Kathy Reed Travel Answers 828 Lancaster Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA (610)

13 Responsibility Clause The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Susan Worner Tours act only as agents for the passenger with respect to all transportation, hotels, and all matters of reservations and tour operation. We and our agents accept no responsibility for loss, damage, injury, accident, delay or irregularity, expense, or liability caused by the defect of any vehicle or negligence or default of any independent contractors, their employees, agents, or representatives. Nor do we accept responsibility for losses or delays arising from sickness, pilferage, labor disputes, machinery breakdown, quarantine, government restraints, war, acts of terrorism, weather conditions, or acts of God. All such losses or expenses shall be borne by the tour participant, as tour rates provided for arrangements only for the time stated and as described in this brochure. We reserve the right to substitute services, features, and hotels of similar quality without notice. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. We likewise reserve the right to decline to accept or retain any tour participant at any time without being under any obligation to assign any reason therefore. In the event of the exercise of this right, we shall be under no liability to such person(s) except to refund such amount as our absolute discretion deems reasonable to attribute to the uncompleted portion of the tour. No refund will be made for the unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. Baggage is carried at the owner s risk entirely. It is understand that air, ship, or train tickets when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the passenger and carrier concerned. The airlines and all other transportation companies involved in this tour are not to be held responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time that the passengers are not on board their planes or conveyances. All services are subject to the laws of the country in which they are rendered. The tour participant agrees, on behalf of himself, his dependents, heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, to abide by the above conditions and to release and hold harmless the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Susan Worner Tours, and any of their representatives from any and all liability for any delays, damage, loss, injury, or death occurring in relation to this tour. Any payment constitutes agreement by the individual tour participant with the terms and conditions contained in this brochure. I have read the Tour Conditions and Responsibility Clause and agree to all the conditions therein. Signature Date Please mail this form and a $500 per person deposit check payable to PHS to: Suzanne Betts, PHS, 100 N 20th St, 5th Fl, Philadelphia, PA

14 Payment Details This trip has been organized by Susan Worner Tours for members of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). Please read this information carefully, as payment of a deposit represents your acceptance of the following terms and conditions. Tour Price Per-Person Double occupancy: $5,100 per person Single occupancy: $5,600 per person Reservation and Payment A deposit of $500 per person confirms your reservation. You will receive confirmation of your reservation by mail within 30 days of receipt of your deposit. If you make your reservation after the final payment due date, payment in full will be required when you make your reservation. Final payment is due 90 days prior to trip departure and an invoice will be sent in advance of this date. The final payment for the Autumn Gardens of Normandy & Brittany will be due June 28, The trip price is based on 13 participants. The price has been determined in accordance with currency calculations as of September, Trip cancellation insurance is recommended and may be purchased through Travel Answers or another carrier. Please note that to ensure coverage due to any pre-existing medical conditions you must purchase insurance within 15 days of your initial deposit. 10

15 Cancellations and Refunds In the event that you must cancel, your deposit is refundable (minus a $100 processing fee) up to 90 days prior to departure. Cancellations must be received in writing by June 28, After this date, no refund will be made unless a substitute participant is obtained. No refund for cancellations made less than 90 days prior to departure. There is no refund for any unused portion of the trip. Tour Price Includes: Hotel accommodations based on two people sharing a room with private bath, hotel service charges, tips and gratuities, taxes and porterage per itinerary; ground transportation by private motor coach in France; meals per itinerary; local guides; entrance fees; services of professional tour leader from Susan Worner Tours; $300 tax-deductible donation to PHS. Tour Price Does Not Include: Airfare; travel insurance, beverages, use of hotel telephone, laundry, meals, tours and entrance fees not specifically mentioned in the itinerary. Passport It is the traveler s responsibility to ensure he/she has a valid passport and do not require a visa to their destination. Note that passports must be valid at least 6 months beyond your travel date to be accepted. 11

16 Tour Expectations Please be aware there may be different living standards, practices, conditions and style with respect to utilities, services, accommodations and facilities while traveling abroad. Please remember that one of the joys of visiting other places is the opportunity to discover the pleasures of life in rural locales, villages, towns and cities. For the comfort of all participants, smoking is not permitted on vehicles, inside accommodations or restaurants; seat rotation on the vehicle is encouraged. There are regular comfort stops during each day. Client is responsible for advising PHS/Susan Worner Tours of any restrictions regarding diet, mobility issues or disabilities so we may plan accordingly, when possible. This tour is designed for reasonably active people. Tours can involve quite a lot of walking. Terrain may include steep inclines, cobblestones, grass, dirt paths, uneven surfaces, in areas with restricted vehicle access and up/down stairs. Each participant must be able to navigate themselves in/out of the tour vehicle. It is strongly suggested that all tour participants be in good health. Participants should limit luggage to one standard size case each, maximum measurement 30x18x10, plus a day pack purse/camera bag for the daily touring day. Any case weight in excess of 40 lbs/18kg may be refused in accordance to local safety regulations. 12

17 Reservation Form Please record information exactly as it appears on your passport and send a copy of your passport photo page with the reservation form. Name as it appears on Passport Passport # Exp. Date Date of birth Name for name badge Address City State Zip Phone (home/cell) Emergency contact Name Phone Relationship Roommate s name Willing to Share Single supplement Special Medical or Dietary Needs Payment Information (deposit $500 per person) If paying by check, please make payable to PHS Amount $ Check # If paying by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express) Credit Card # Expiration Date Amount to be charged Signature 13

18 Waiver Form I/we, the undersigned member(s)/guests(s) of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, do desire and intend to participate in one or more trips and/or events as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society may, from time to time, arrange for members and/or guests. I/we hereby authorize the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and such officers, employees and agents thereof as my be appropriate, (a) to enter into and execute such arrangements, applications and contacts for the charter of buses, vans, automobiles, boats and other means of transportation as may, in their opinion, be required in connection with such trips and/or events, and (b) to make such arrangements or decisions as may be required to deemed appropriate by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society or any of them in connection with such charters and such trips and/or events. In consideration of my/our agreement to participate in such trips and/ or events and undertaking of such arrangements on my behalf, I/we hereby release and discharge the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and each of its directors, officers, employees and agents from all suits, causes, claims of any kind that might arise as a result of or in the course of or in connection with any such trip and/or events, such as charters or arrangements. I/we understand, of course, that this agreement will in no way effect any liability that may arise on the part of any third party. This release and discharge shall remain in effect until revoked by me/us in writing. Please sign and date this Waiver and Release Form and return with deposit. Signature Date Name (print) Signature Date Name (print) 14

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20 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 100 N. 20th Street 5th Floor Philadelphia, PA PHSonline.org