On our return visit to Europe in September 1998, we were thrilled to be able to meet many people with whom we had corresponded over the years, as well as old and new friends. Des gave talks and slide shows on Lithops and other succulents to societiesand groups in Germany, Austria, and a number of places in Italy. We had also been asked to show Des's unique set of slides of the Bushmen of the Central Kalahari, taken when he visited the area in 1961. Some of the most memorable plant collections that we visited, were the very large one of Hans and Uta Frohning, mainly cacti, near Munich; AnnaRosa Nicola's very compact and beautifully maintained plant houses built on the steep side of a hill in the village of Aramengo, near Turin in northern Italy; Giuseppe Piccione's perfectly grown collection in Verona; and Paolo Sezzi's small but well-loved collection near Bologna. We visited also the superbly laid-out Botanical Gardens in Munich, and others. In between we enjoyed being driven through the beautiful mountain, lake and forest scenery of Bavaria, Austria and northern Italy - all quite magnificent! After a very busy but exciting four weeks we returned home, utterly exhausted!
展开▼
