Jazz Day

Today is International Jazz Day.

Ronaldo in Time´s 100 most influential people

See the list here

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle is situated in Kent, the Garden of England, halfway between London and the port of Dover.

The castle was owned by six medieval queens and remained in royal hands until Tudor times.

Since then it was in private ownership. Lady Baillie, the heiress to an American fortune bought it in 1926. 

Lady Baillie, who was born in New York in 1899 as Olive Paget, left a mark on the castle as she refurbished it using the finest architects and designers to create an elegant country residence filled with art and antiques collected on her frequent trips.

Lady Baillie (in the centre) with her two daughters

The Seminar Room

The Seminar room has hosted many international meetings like the Egypt-Israeli peace talks in 1978.

The dining room

Boudin, who worked in the castle for 30 years, designed the floral medaillon carpet. He later supplied this design to the White House for Jacqueline Kennedy.

Lady Baillie´s travelling case

Boudin redesigned this room. It had been the schoolroom for Lady Baillies´s daughters. The shelves in the library contain over 3000 books which were part of the owner´s collection.

 For me it is the most beautiful room with a fantastic view.

Lady Baillie used the castle as her country house, entertaining the rich and famous for nearly fifty years. When she died, in 1974, she left the castle to a charitable trust that is now responsible for its preservation. The castle looks today mostly as it did in Lady Baillie´s day.

References:

Bignell, Alan. Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle. Leeds Castle Enterprises, 2007

Aslet, Clive. An Exuberant Catalogue of Dreams- The Americans Who Revived the Country House in Britain. Aurum, 2013.

A visit to Kent

During my recent visit to Kent I had the opportunity to commemorate St George´s Day with a traditional Fish and Chips dinner.

Earth Day in Leeds Castle:

International Book Day in the beautiful and cosy library of Leeds Castle:

Last but not least it was time for a very important birthday commemoration...

Happy St George´s Day

Do you know the story of Saint George?

Read it here.

Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Portrait

A new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by British photographer David Bailey has been released in honour of her 88th birthday.

The Queen celebrates her actual birthday on 21 April, and her official birthday on a Saturday in June, which this year falls on 14 June.

Read about The Queen´s Birthday Parade

Cashews: from the tree to the table

Plantation near Varela, Guinea-Bissau

Cashews: the fruit and the nut

Ponta da Piedade

Is Ponta da Piedade the most beautiful beach on earth?
Read The Huffington Post

Happy Easter

           

Páscoa Feliz

 Previous posts:
 Easter
 Maundy Thursday

20 best small towns in US

Marietta, OH

The Smithsonian Magazine takes you to the 20 Best Small Towns to visit in the US in 2014:

1. Chautauqua, NY

2. Healdsburg, CA

3. Williamsburg, VA

4. Steamboat Springs, CO

5. Woods Hole, MA

6. Marietta, OH

7. Beaufort, SC

8. Sedona, AZ

9. Nebraska City, NE

10. Lanesboro, MN

11. Spring Green, WI

12. Havre de Grace, MD

13. Columbia, PA

14. Mount Dora, FL

15. Ketchum, ID

16. Montpelier, VT

17. Harrodsburg, KY

18. Silver City, NM

19. Decorah, IA

20. The Dalles, OR

Woods Hole, MA

The Simpsons in The Late Show

David Michael Letterman is an American television comedian who hosts the talk show Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman announced he will  retire in 2015.

The Simpsons way of thanking David Letterman for all the entertainment that he has brought to us.

Açai

In 2004, it became popular to consume açaí juice because of its antioxidant properties. Have you ever tried it?

Today I drank a mixture of fruits combined with açai ice-cream called Purple Rain. Delicious!

My daughter brought me Açai soap from Brazil. It is nice but different. 

Memories of Dresden

Dresden before the war

Yesterday my son told me he is going to Dresden in July. This inspired me to tell some of the stories I heard when I attended a summer course in east Germany (GDR) in 1983 and visited Dresden.

Dresden after the bombing

 The old city centre was still kept in ruins as a reminder of the notorious bombing of Dresden by the allied forces (British and Americans) towards the end of the war.

My “begleiterin” (constant companion) told us about the tragic event that resulted in around  25 000 civilians being killed.

 People who had sought shelter in the “Frauenkirche”(Church of Our Lady) couldn´t escape as the dome collapsed because the temperature of the floor in the surrounding area reached 1 000 degrees Celsius. 

Dresden before the war

The bombing destroyed the whole of the capital of the state of Saxony, which had become a safe haven for war refugees. It was an important communications and manufacturing centre, as well as a leading cultural centre of art, classical music and science.

The Zwinger

Fortunately the reconstruction of the museum of the Zwinger began in 1945 and I was thus able to visit the painting Gallery.

 The Shloss

 I was told that reconstructing other buildings like the Schloss (castle) and the church began after the German reunification of 1990 and that the city is reestablishing its cultural importance. I hope to see pictures of this soon. The ones I am showing here are from the internet and not mine because, unfortunately, the ones I own are of very poor quality.

Irish State Visit

The Queen is showing Irish related items from the Royal Collection at Windsor

A historic event began today at Windsor Castle with the first visit to the UK by an Irish Head of State. 

Irish President Michael D Higgins, who is also a poet, sociologist and author, spoke in Westminster and said both countries could take "immense pride" in their work towards peace in Northern Ireland.

A shamrock box on display

This book was presented by the Irish poet Oscar Wilde to the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.

The Queen has made a speech at the Irish State Banquet at Windsor

Prince George´s Royal Tour

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and baby Prince George have arrived to Australia for their official three week tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Prince William with his parents in Australia when he visited the country at the same age.

Roque Gameiro nasceu há 150 anos

Em Minde podemos ver a casa onde nasceu 

o pintor Roque Gameiro 

(1864-1935)

Quando visitei a freguesia de Minde, no concelho de Alcanena, fui ao Museu de Aguarela de Roque Gameiro, situado numa bela casa (projecto de Raul Lino), com jardins bem cuidados, onde se pode admirar desenhos e aguarelas do pintor e de seus familiares.

Achei interessante saber que a Vila de Minde possui uma língua própria - o Minderico, desenvolvida pelos feirantes mindericos que, em tempos viajavam por todo o país, com o propósito principal de se entenderem de forma privada, impedindo outros indivíduos de perceber o que estes falavam e combinavam.