Welcome to the first of my informal and largely pictorial reports on the 2024 Society meeting in the Loire region of France. I anticipate probably two more reports. 2024 saw the meeting of the International Clematis Society take place, for the first time, in France. It was a very special meeting as it celebrated the 40th anniversary of the founding of our Society. Based in the Loire region of France, the itinerary started in Tours, moved on for a couple of nights to Loches before finishing in Orléans. It was organized by Jeff Jabco and Linda Beutler, for the Society, and Brightwater Holidays, who took care of the transport and logistics. In addition we must mention garden designer, Nicholas Tomlan, who took us to several privaste gardens as well as being our guide at Château Chenonceau, and JJ DeSousa, an Oregon gardener and interior designer who has restored a farmhouse near Loches where she lives for half the year or so. We stayed in Le Grand Hôtel De Tours, which faces Pl. du Général Leclerc and is a few minutes walk from Tours railway station. This makes is a very accessuible location from all over France, especially from Paris. Tours station is a wondewrful building, both externally and internally where the walls are decorated with tiles pictures of famous French detinations. A number showed Loire châteaux, and I've singled out Amboise to show here.
Diana Breen and Marianna Clark in front of Le Grand Hôtel De Tours
location in France, especuially facing the main square a few minutes walk to our hotyel, with he We assembled at the Grande Hotel in Tours on Friday 7th June where, after cocktains in the lounge area, we walked a short distance to our dinner reservation. it was then to bed for most people as breakfast was serviced from 07:00 with our coach leaving at 08:00. Our visit this morning wasnto Château Villandry. we had The majority of attendees Tours is The mer, In order to get our next journal, Clematis International 2024, to our publisher, I've postponed my informal reports on our meeting this year in the Loire region of France. I hope to have the first of these available with the next web site update. Thank you, once again, for your patience!
