Brighton

Brighton is in the south coast of England, being one of the most famous seaside resorts of the U. K.

In Brighton it is always windy and the sea is cold but it is a pleasure to breath in the fresh sea-air on your walk along the pebble-beach.

Actually the sea was VERY cold... But I wanted above all to salute my good, old friend. And the sea, as well, wanted to give me a hug... So I succeed to get wet instantly...


The Brighton Pier is the famous landmark of Brighton, with roller coasters, restaurants and a fantastic view on the sea. The seagulls glide in the air using every little breeze and fill the air with their sad song.


Here you can see the most beautiful green colour in the world, as the sea has an amazing green colour when it is sunny! The Brighton green.


The Royal Pavilion is an other attraction in Brighton, built at the beginning of the 19th century by King George IV, in an exotic, oriental style. There is a large park around the Pavilion, where people can relax in the grass.


The Laine is a shopping area in Brighton, with narrow streets, hundreds of boutiques, tiny shops, pubs, bars and small restaurants.

I wish I were there now...

The Lion King - musical

The Lion King - The award-winning musical at the Lyceum Theatre, London

You may have seen the Disney's cartoon, The Lion King, so you know the story... You may think that it is impossible to adapt for the stage... But it was possible and the cartoon is nothing in comparison with this live performance!
There are no words could describe properly the atmosphere created during the show, but colours, sounds, movements, rhythm, feelings and emotions...
The actors' and dancers' costumes are inspired by African patterns and colours, the masks and puppets they carry create an amazing effect. The human figure continues and melts into the puppets or the masks, working and moving together. The actors' makeup is sometimes decorative, sometimes figures out the personality of the characters.
The choreography includes African dance elements, with fantastic rhythm and energy, that move through the bodies of the dancers, but also imitates the movements of the wild animals.
The music, composed by Elton John, has again African influence and adds a theatrical touch to the show.
The scenic design is absolutely amazing, you feel as you are in the middle of the African Savannah. Imagine the African sunset, with silhouettes of gazelles jumping across the landscape or the huge giraffes walking along in the horizon, imagine the African sunrise with thousands of birds singing and flying in the air, imagine the Jungle with mysterious shadows and luxurious vegetation... And all this on the stage...
Oh, and not to forget the child-actors, they do an exceptional work, singing, dancing, moving puppets... fantastic for their young age!
I wish everybody could see this musical, as it is absolutely amazing!

Here you have some images from the Internet, to have an idea, as no photography is allowed during the show.
http://www2.disney.co.uk/MusicalTheatre/TheLionKing/abouttheshow/productionphotos.jsp

Az oroszlánkirály - a londoni Lyceum Theatre díjnyertes előadása

Valószínű láttátok a Disney rajzfilmet, tehát már a történet ismerős... És azt gondolnátok, hogy ezt lehetetlenség színpadra átvinni... De lehetséges volt és a rajzfilm eltörpül a színpadi előadás mellett.
Szavakkal képtelenség leírni az előadás hangulatát, inkább színekkel, hangokkal, mozgással, ritmussal, érzésekkel és érzelmekkel...
A színészek és táncosok ruháit afrikai motívumok és színek díszitik, a viselt maszkok és bábok együtt nagyszerű hatást keltenek. Az emberi alakok folytatódnak és egybeolvadnak a maszkokkal vagy bábukkal, együtt mozogván velük. A színészek maszkja néha díszítő jellegű, néha meg a szereplő személyiségét formázza.
A koreográfia afrikai tánc elemekre épül, a táncosok testén átáramló hihetetlen ritmussal és energiával, ami a vadállatok mozgását is utánozza.
A zenét Elton John szerezte, szintén afrikai hatású és az előadás hangulatát az egekig emeli.
A diszletek és a szinpad megtervezése lenyűgöző, úgy érzed, mintha az afrikai Szavanna közepén lennél. Képzeld el az afrikai naplementét, amint gazellák suhannak át a tájon vagy hatalmas zsiráfok sétálnak el a horizont előtt, képzeld el az afrikai napfelkeltét, amint ezer meg ezer madár énekel és repked az égen, képzeld el a dzsungelt, titokzatos árnyakkal és buja növényzettel... és mindezt színpadon!
És ne feledjük a gyerekszereplőket, akik elképesztő munkát végeztek: énekelnek, táncolnak, bábokat mozgatnak... fantasztikus az ő korukhoz képest!
Kívánom, hogy mindenki megnézhesse ezt az előadást, mert lenyűgöző!

On the homepage of the show, where you can have a sneak preview:
Egy kis betekintő az előadásba, a műsor honlapjáról:
http://www2.disney.co.uk/MusicalTheatre/TheLionKing/downloads/videoclips.jsp

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle is situated in Maidstone, Kent, South East England.

The first castle was built in the XIIth century by a descendant of William the Conqueror, later it passed in royal hands, being held by medieval widowed queens. Queen Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII lived here and Elisabeth I was imprisoned in the castle before her coronation. Later the castle passed in private ownership, the last owner of the castle was Lady Baille, who established the Leeds Castle Foundation. It was opened for the public in 1976.

View of the Castle from the hot-air balloon... yes, I was flying up there... :-)

The Castle is a gem: it is beautiful, elegant and friendly with amazing rooms, beautiful decorations, interesting paintings and lovely flower bouquets in the windows. You can see different epoques as you go around, starting from the Norman wine cellar and going through the old castle and than passing to the new castle, ending with the last owners drawing rooms.

The moat

Inside the castle

There is a beautiful park surrounding the castle, with interesting plants, trees and flowers.

In the garden

As Lady Baille loved the birds, she asked garden designers to create a duckery where now hundreds of wild birds live, as white swans, Canadian geese, ducks and black swans, the symbol of the castle, imported from Australia by Lady Baille.

Swans

The Aviary house different species of exotic birds, as parrots, toucans, ibises, cranes...

Parrots in love...

You can also see a falconry display, with majestic predator birds, like vultures, falcons, owls, eagles and hawks. The demonstrations give a fantastic insight into these wild birds life and behavior.

I got it!

Beautiful eyes...

You can also try to get lost in the maze and the grotto or to see the dog collar museum or the vineyard or just walk along the pathway and enjoy the sight of the small stream and the giant rhubarbs...

Giant rhubarb

or to admire the smell of the the giant magnolia...

Giant magnolia

or to follow a duck family swimming and to see the reflections of the sky in the lake ...

Reflections in the lake