THE OTTAWA ORCHID SOCIETY IN SEPTEMBER, 2008

Royal Botanical Gardens - September 12-14, 2008

How about a fall weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens?

As we mentioned in the last Spike and during the March meeting, after the smashing success of the visit to the Montreal Botanical Gardens in February, we are now planning a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario for a weekend in September, from Friday September 12, 2008 to Sunday September 14, 2008.

The cost for the trip will be $200 per person, which includes your transportation to Hamilton and to the planned activities, your entrance to the Royal Botanical Gardens, lunch at the Royal Botanical Gardens, two dinners (a BBQ at Orchids in our Tropics and a gourmet three-course dinner at Inn on the Twenty, one of the finest restaurants in Canada) and several snacks on the bus.

Each person will also be responsible for paying their own breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday, their lunches on Friday and Saturday, their alcoholic consumptions on Saturday night, and their own hotel. (The Holiday Inn Burlington is offering us a rate of approximately $125 per night, plus taxes, and has several rooms with two double beds if you’d like to share with another member. Once we have confirmed all the details, members who have registered for the trip will be provided with the necessary information to book their rooms.) Therefore, the total cost will be approximately $550 per person if rooming alone or $850 for a couple.

The following is a tentative schedule for the weekend:

Friday, September 12, 2008:

8:30 a.m. Departure from the Ottawa Train Station (overnight parking is available here for a relatively low cost)

9:00 a.m. Departure from the Chapters store at Pinecrest (overnight parking is not available here, so participants must be dropped off)

11:15 a.m. Early lunch stop at Tim Hortons on Division Street in Kingston

12:30 p.m. Departure from Kingston

3:30 p.m. Arrival at Orchids in our Tropics for a special tour of their greenhouses

5:30 p.m. BBQ at Orchids in our Tropics

7:30 p.m. Departure for Holiday Inn Burlington

8:30 p.m. Arrival at hotel and check in

Saturday, September 13, 2008:

8:30 a.m. Departure from hotel for Royal Botanical Gardens

9:00 a.m. Beginning of one-hour guided tour of the Royal Botanical Gardens’ Mediterranean House focussing on the orchid collection housed there

10:00 a.m. Free time to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens on your own

11:30 a.m. Buffet lunch at the Royal Botanical Gardens (participants can drop in anytime before 12:45 p.m., should you want a bit more time visiting)

1:00 p.m. Departure for afternoon visits to Marsh Hollow Orchids and Cloud’s Orchids

1:30 p.m. Drop off in Jordan of participants who prefer wine-themed activities over orchids (we will all meet here for our dinner)

2:00 p.m. Arrival at Marsh Hollow Orchids for guided visit

3:45 p.m. Departure from Marsh Hollow Orchids

4:15 p.m. Arrival at Cloud’s Orchids for guided visit

6:00 p.m. Departure from Cloud’s Orchids

6:15 p.m. Arrival at Inn on the Twenty for dinner in the Vintners Cellar

8:30 p.m. Departure for hotel

9:00 p.m. Arrival at hotel

Sunday, September 14, 2008:

10:00 a.m. Departure for home

12:30 p.m. Arrival at Tim Hortons on Division Street in Kingston for lunch

1:30 p.m. Departure for Ottawa

3:30 p.m. Arrival at Chapters store at Pinecrest for drop off

4:30 p.m. Arrival at Ottawa Train Station for final drop off

We will start taking registrations at the April meeting and the 50 spots will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. The full $200 will be required for your registration. Only $125 of that amount will be refundable. Spots can also be transferred to any other person. We will also be inviting members of the Kingston Orchid Society to join us.

For additional information, please contact Julie Mertens by e-mail at julie_mertens@videotron.ca or by phone at (613) 3230460. Hope you’ll be able to come!