Q & A
English Garden Tours
Q. I am interested in taking a garden tour through England next year. Can you give me names of companies that arrange such tours? -- Ruth L. Grossman, White Plains
A. Most British garden tours are offered in spring and early summer, as by late July most blooms have peaked and hotel rooms are harder to find, according to John Bradfield of Lucas & Randall European Tours. Many tours include the Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows in May and July. The following companies offer detailed itineraries on their Web sites. Prices generally include most meals and are land only, double occupancy. Most companies set dates for next year at the end of July and most plan the same or similar tours at a slight price increase. (And most still have space for additional visitors on this year's tours.)
Lucas & Randall, in Sacramento, Calif., (800) 505-2505, www.lucasandrandall.com, offered three English garden tours this year, including a 12-day tour of the West Country this month, when roses are at their peak ($3,595), and a 10-day tour in Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds in July, with sightseeing in London and the Hampton Court Show ($2,995).
Coopersmith's, in Inverness, Calif., (415) 669-1914, www.coopersmiths.com, also offered three English tours, including a 13-day tour of West Country gardens and the Chelsea Flower Show for $4,295, and a nine-day tour of the gardens and estates of Dorset in late July for $3,195.
Expo Garden Tours, in Litchfield, Conn., (860) 567-0322, www.expogardentours.com, offered five English tours, from a nine-day tour in May in the Cotswolds ($3,198) to 10 days in Wales this month ($3,868).
For a wider range of options, you might choose one of the many tours offered by British companies. Gentle Journeys, based in Sherborne, Dorset, offers a seven-day Parlors and Potagers tour ($1,652) and a nine-day trip to see Houses and Gardens of the Movies ($1,926) in September. Also available are day trips from London: to celebrated Sissinghurst, created by Vita Sackville-West and Sir Harold Nicolson, and another garden (often with a tour and talk by the owner) on Tuesday and Sunday, or to the Cotswolds on Wednesday; each trip is $100. Information: (44-1935) 815924 or (800) 873-7145 or www.gentlejourneys.com.
Sisley Garden Tours offered a spring tour this year that included the Chelsea Flower Show and two eight-day summer tours, one in the Cotswolds, the other in the southwest, including the Eden Project and the Hampton Court Show; each costs $1,910. Tours are booked through the travel agent listed at www.sisley.co.uk.
And Brightwater Holidays, in Fife, Scotland, offers 29 garden tours throughout Britain this year. A four-day tour of gardens in Suffolk in July is $382; three days at the popular Eden Project in Cornwall (various dates) is $433. Information: (44-1334) 657155 or www.brightwaterholidays.com/uktours.
Museum Listings
Q. I am looking for a resource that lists European art museums, their addresses and a brief description of their collections and current and upcoming exhibitions so I can plan my travels accordingly. -- Gerald Johannes, Atascadero, Calif.
A. There are a number of such resources, mainly those with virtual galleries and information on artists, but the best one for your purposes might be Artcyclopedia, at www.artcyclopedia.com. The Web site was launched in 1999 by John Malyon, a software developer and art enthusiast in Calgary, Alberta, primarily as a guide to artists and their works (you can search by name, artwork or museum or by movement, medium, subject or nationality).
But there is also an index of hundreds of museum sites around the world. Click on France, for example, and you are presented with links to 37 museums throughout the country; a click on Germany brings up 67. Alternatively, you can click on Art Museums by Name/Place. Entering 'Bordeaux,' for example, calls up three of the city's main art museums. The database includes only those museums with Web sites.
Home Exchanges
Q. My son and his family, in Seattle, are interested in a home-exchange vacation in New York. Are there agencies for such exchanges? -- Bernice Rosen, New Brunswick, N.J.
A. There are dozens of home-exchange services available today, with online listings supplementing or supplanting the thick directories that were once common. The idea of swapping homes originated in the 50's with a network of European academics. Metropolitan areas are in greatest demand; Helen Bergstein of Digsville.com says New York is, in fact, the top choice among her membership. Home exchanges are flexible and often include extras like cars, says Karl Costabel of HomeLink, one of the first exchange organizations. Details are worked out by the partners in the exchange; the organizations posting the listings act simply as clearinghouses.
The system works this way: You pay an annual membership fee, generally between $25 and $70, which allows you to list your property and search the agency's database; you contact prospective house swappers by e-mail. The site may allow nonsubscribers to scan some listings, but usually the contact information is accessible only to members. For an extra fee, some agencies will conduct a search for you. Most sites offer tips on successful exchanges and include first-person testimonials. Many listings are flexible, with such comments as 'available anytime' and 'open to destination.'
HomeLink, based in Tampa, Fla., (800) 638-3841, www.homelink.org, was founded in 1953. Web-only membership is $70 a year. Full membership, which includes three full-color directories, is $110. In the United States section, listings are separated by state, then by ZIP code; maps are included. HomeLink includes more than 11,000 listings worldwide, more than 3,000 in the United States.
Digsville.com, based in Lyndhurst, N.J., (800) 856-9059, www.digsville.com, was founded in 1999. Membership is $49.95 a year. Most listings have color photos and full descriptions of the property and neighborhood. About 4,000 listings.
HomeExchange.com, in Santa Barbara, Calif., (800) 877-8723, www.homeexchange.com, dates back to 1991. Listings are detailed, often with photos. A $49.95 annual fee is required to post your property, though nonmembers can view listings and contact members free. About 6,000 listings.
FLORENCE STICKNEY
Q & A