The 108th Chelsea Flower Show: London & Edinburgh

I am writing to you from London after just finishing a spectacular journey through Ireland with a group of NSCDA members, husbands, and friends. Our time here in London and Edinburgh has been marked by outstanding visits with the most wonderful guides, superb dining, all the fabulous desserts, drinks and teas you can imagine, and of course, fabulous shopping. Knowing the vaccination rate here is near 90% puts us all at ease and makes our outings so, so enjoyable. Thus far, the shared feeling within each group is that we feel safer while traveling than at home. Although these things were well-researched and confirmed by our team prior to our members’ traveling, we have heard time and again that it is one thing to read it and yet another to experience it first hand! 

Everywhere we have visited the hotels, restaurants, and sites have greeted us with absolute elation. Overjoyed to host Americans, private doors have opened, special visits and rare opportunities to tour with each area's top guides and scholars continue seamlessly. Our hotel, the Balmoral in Edinburgh, leaves special gifts in our room each night as a token of gratitude for visiting their hotel after they've weathered months of uncertainty.

Shop-owners, curators, television personalities, scholars, all have welcomed us so warmly, it’s hard to not feel like Royalty. Our members will be taking home the most priceless of mementos - memories of brilliant experiences together! Sitting in Churchill’s chair in the WWII “War Rooms”, visiting Hopetoun house just ahead of the Queen, attending Chelsea Flower Show the only time it has ever been hosted in September, dining in exquisite estates, being pampered in luxurious accommodations - and this goes on.

As the time neared for us all to prepare for the return home, testing was seamless and secured with our group of nearly 30 all testing negative for a smooth transition back home.