Kitchen Garden Extravaganza Tour
During one fabulous week of chateau-hopping, hot-air balooning, kitchen-garden visiting and gourmet cooking and dining, you will discover how the French turned the simple growing of fruits and vegetables into a high form of Art.
September 7th to 13th 2010
Tuesday 7th Around paris
Departure at 9am from Paris for
a lovely , private tour of the kitchen garden and park of the
Chateau St Jean de Beauregard
Then off to the fabulous
Kitchen Garden and Domain of the Chateau of Versailles
where we will see not only where the Kings vegetables were grown, but also the fabulous little Queen's Hamlet garden and the Orangerie where the citrus trees were kept.
Wednesday 8th Normandy by the Sea
- The St Georges Abbey garden and orchard
- The Chateau de Bosmelet and its contemporary Rainbow garden
-The Chateau de Miromesnil - birthplace of author Guy de Maupassant and our accomodation for the night. We will visit the very well-known flowered kitchen garden, pick some ripe fruits and vegetables . What follows is a gourmet cooking class in the copper-laden castle kitchen after which we will dine on our fresh from the garden creations.
Thursday 9th - Normandy by the Seine then off to The Loire Valley
-The extraordinary Chateau du Champs de Bataille and its checkered mediterranean kitchen garden where we will go on an exclusive visit of the chateau and garden.
After these extraordinary Normand gardens - off for the Loire Valley and he worlds best examples of chateaux kitcen gardens.Our first stop and where we will lodge is
The Chateau de la Bourdaisiere -
owned by the multi-talented Prince Louis de Broglie and home of the French National Tomato collection. Arrival for visit, Saturday and Sunday Tomato festival and three days accomodation .
Friday 10th - Loire Valley
Early morning takeoff in two multi-colored hot air baloons for an incredible trip over the Valley of the Kings .
We will land at the Chateau Valmer and its splendid organic kitchen garden and vineyards for a day of in-depth visits of both the garden and wineries, a lunch and cooking class followed by a candle-lit dinner in the fabulous dining room carved out of the cliff! A day to remember!
Saturday 11th
The Chateau de la Bourdaisiere where we are staying will be having this week-end its annual Tomato festival highlighting over 600 varieties of the worlds favorite fruit/vegetable. Both Saturday and Sunday, we will participate in activities throughout the day.Late afternoon visit to the magnificent Chateau de Chenonceaux wher we also dine in the Orangerie.
Sunday 12th
Visit to the renaissance
Chateau de la Chatonniere et the fantasy-like medieval Chateau Rivau
both of whom boast original Kitchen gardens.
And for our last visit - the world's most famous and extraordinary garden dedicated to fruits and vegetables -
The Chateau de Villandry.
Farewell Dinner
A special end to a magical week!
Monday 13th
departure after breakfast for Paris(lunch en route and arrival at approximately 4pm.
