Cardiff, Wales

Last week Steve and spent mostly in Plymouth, UK....but our first day and night was in Cardiff, Wales. I'd been to this pretty city before but didn't get inside the castle walls. So...the reason for the trip was a visit inside. It was very well worth it! We opted not to take the guided tour....which might have been a mistake. This would have allowed us into even more areas...but we know that we like to linger, so we opted for the provided headset explanations. If we had to do it over again, we'd take the tour because we could have then spent as much time as we did in the other areas. Oh well. We did run into one of the very well informed docents who took us into the very private chapel....a place not even on the "guided tour". Before our train ride the next morning we walked to the waterside and we even ducked into a small grocery shop where I had a blast photographing the unique alcoholic beverage labels.

This blog post is otherwise just a series of some of the photos with captions! Enjoy!


The Cardiff Castle complex is completely within a very thick wall, some of which dates to the Roman era. It is entered through the southern gate. There's a 14th c. castle that was totally renovated into a dazzling Neo-Gothic residence in the mid-19th c., a keep, a moat, a trebuchet, and walkways both inside and on top of the wall.


Above: Cardiff Castle and its reflection in the moat.

Above: The tower.

Above: The trebuchet with the keep in the background...photo taken from the wall.

Above: The walkway and steep steps up to.....

...the keep.....

...from which we climbed to the highest accessible point. Above: The green interior of the keep as seen from above.

Above: Steve on the steep keep stairs.

Above: A view down one of the walls' interior walkways.

Above: The wall at Cardiff Castle.

Above: Gargoyle metal gutter at Cardiff Castle.


Above and below: Fabulous Moorish designed ceiling. Click on any image to enlarge!

The 19th c. Gothic revival interior is the result of ....from Wikipedia..."its transformation began in 1868 when John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute commissioned William Burges to undertake a massive rebuilding which turned the castle into a 19th century fantasy of a medieval palace, with a series of rooms that, perhaps, constitute the highest achievement of later Victorian Gothic Revival design." It was FABULOUS!

Above: Cardiff Castle, Grand Hallway.

Above: Ceiling in the Grand Hallway.

Above: Above the fireplace in the Grand Hallway.


Above: The chapel ceiling.

Above: Cardiff Castle's library.

Above: Two capitals in the chapel....Please note that the architect altered one of them to be a rabbit!

Above and below: Architectural details at Cardiff Castle.



Above: Another elaborate capital....it's carved from stone even though it looked like a bronze figure.

Above: One of the fantastical beasts created by the architect as a wall painting.


Above: A Carrara marble angel in below the private alter in the chapel.

Above: A sculpture including a baby dragon....at the bottom of the stairs....which have an...

,,,,,alligator at the top!

I loved all the ornamentation and detail of the place too....including the stained glass...

....and the brass locks.....and the iron locks too!

So....here's some of the grocery store images....

Above: Mad Frog.....a vodka mix in Wales!

Above and below: Unique beers from Wales!

We sampled a local brew too....at a place called "Y Mochyn Du", which means "The Dirty Pig" in welsh!

Trip to Hungary!

I'm absolutely flooded with work! My upcoming exhibition at City Gallery at Waterfront is looming! I've got Decision Portraits to stitch and keys to "tag" with handmade labels and details to attend....but I also have hundreds of photos to share from my recent trip to Hungary. It was an amazing adventure.

My Dad, Mom, sister Wanda, and Ann Feller (my Dad's first cousin's wife) all stayed in Tamási, the center of Tolna Megya (county). It is known for its thermal bath....which, of course, we visited. We went to Belecska and Keszöhidegut, places from which my Dad's mother came. We went to an interesting "Fish Park" and to two "Heitmatmuseums" (local historical museums) where we drooled over piles of traditional embroideries. We also went to Udvari....the town from which my Dad and the other Swabian Germans were deported in 1947. Udvari was having its annual Dorffest (Village Festival) and had invited the former Germans (most of whom ended up in Seifenersdorf, in the former East German Republic). There was goulash, schnapps, and plenty of local wine.

I've posted the photos on Flickr! albums:

General Photos of Hungary.....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
General Photos of Udvari.....as a SLIDESHOW.....as a SET OF PHOTOS
The Former LENZ HOUSE.....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
Belecska and Keszöhidegut....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
The Fish Park.....as a SLIDESHOW.....as a SET OF PHOTOS
Tamási....as a SLIDESHOW.....as a SET OF PHOTOS
Udvari, Church and cemetery.....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
Szaradz.....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
General photos of Heitmatmuseum in Gyonk.....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS
Embroideries at the Heitmatmuseum in Gyonk....as a SLIDESHOW....as a SET OF PHOTOS

All these photos are saved in a large format.....a size that can be printed without a lot of pixelation.....ready for friends and family to "grab" and print for themselves. They are nice to view as a slideshow....but to copy to photos to your personal computer, visit the "Set of Photos" (above). Then, click on the individual image you want. The photo will "pop up" into view. Then, right click on that photo.....there will be a "pop up" tab with the words: View available sizes: Medium 500, Medium 620, large, original. CLICK ORIGINAL.....you will only see a small portion of the photo. Right click on this "small portion", select "Save Image As". The next "pop up window" will show you a place on your personal computer. Save the photo. This method will save the greatest number of pixels and allow you to print the clearest image in the largest size.

Mom.....call me if you have a problem.....but I'll be ordering prints for you and Dad too!

Mathias mentioned in Romeo and Juliet Reviews!

From Wales.Online

Theatre review: Romeo and Juliet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Wales Millennium Centre

Jul 9 2010 by Mike Smith, Western Mail

THIS is the sort of evening Wales Millennium Centre was built for: glorious dance that engulfs the whole stage sweeping along on wave after wave of exquisite music.
No-one will mind that the production is ultra-classic and the sets, while at times lavish and detailed, happily make no attempt to make any comment of their own on the greatest love story.
Rather, Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet here performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet is a celebration of the beauty, grace and emotion of these fine dancers, with lots of charm and humour.
Right from the start the evening creates the feel that this is a story of testosterone with posturing lads and an innocent, emotionally and sexually awakening girl.

The contrast between the cheeky harlots, the haughty ladies of the rival courts and our young Juliet is carefully achieved, so when she does dance as a spirited child the effect is wonderful.
There is nothing particularly new about having the lovers’ bed centre stage to be replaced by the death-scene pyre, but the device always works, poignantly making that link between first love and death.
I adored the tableau of a Renaissance painting of courtiers, flanked by dancers in similar poses on the balcony with the formal dancing below. It added to the Dance of the Knights being ravishing.
With a large ensemble of dancers, the choreography was first class with intricate fight scenes, for example, with sword clashing becoming part of the music.
Ambra Vallo danced a doll-like Juliet, melting into womanhood and the arms of Romeo who was danced with elegance by César Morales. Their pas de deux were poignant and emotionally charged while Vallo’s dancing en pointe was breathtaking.
Mathias Dingman danced Romeo’s pal Mercutio splendidly and what a death scene, as over the top as anyone could wish for, while Robert Gravenor’s Tybalt had real presence and authority.
Glorious lighting from John B Read contributed to some memorable scenes that brought real freshness to even that balcony scene. But a little less scenery yo-yoing would have been good.
It is hard to fail with Prokofiev’s music, grand and powerful, gentle and romantic, but always with the chill of menace.
Mike Smith

FROM THE SOUTH WALES ARGUS

Romeo and Juliet, Wales Millennium Centre

11:48am Friday 9th July 2010

THE best-known love story of all time brought tragedy, emotion and a sprinkling of humour to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre.
Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet, which is celebrating its 20th year, was performed spectacularly to Prokofiev’s music.
The evening began with a fight scene illustrating the rivalry and tension between the Montagues and Capulets, which was performed through a series of graceful sword fights between pairs of characters – adding percussion to the music.
Ambra Vallo, playing Juliet, danced with a vulnerable innocence, at times bringing out her character’s immaturity and headstrong nature.
Romeo, danced by César Morales, brought out the emotion of finding his lover, presumably dead, by dancing with her corpse, and his enemy, Tybalt, danced by Robert Gravenor, oozed authority and grace.
Mathias Dingman, playing Romeo’s friend Mercutio, brought humour to the production during his tomfoolery at the spectacular masked ball and a mixture of emotions through his over-the-top death.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and the only element of the production worthy of fault was that there were overly-long breaks between some scenes, as scenery was changed.

News from England

Who would have guessed?  FOUR is a lucky number!  Finishing his fourth year with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Mathias was finally promoted to FIRST ARTIST.....during the same week that he passed his driver's license on the fourth attempt! 

Today I found these lovely photos by Ronnie Allan of Laura-Jane on Facebook!

Photos of Mathias on the Columbia City Jazz Website

(Above:  Mathias Dingman leads a master ballet class during our 2007 Winter Workshop
Photo by Les Mizzell.)
(Above:  Mathias Dingman from the Birmingham Roayl Ballet works with a young student during master classes!  Photo by Les Mizzell.)

(Above:  Mathias Dingman from the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Dusty Buttons from the Royal Ballet School, Jason Parsons, and Dale Lam during our 2007 Winter Workshop
Photo by Les Mizzell.)  Dusty has since joined Birmingham Royal Ballet!

I have a "google alert" on Mathias' name.  Yesterday a "hit" was posted that took me to the Columbia City Jazz Company website.  They have a slide show that includes these three images.  The website is HERE!

Mathias is included in another review!

Every spring Birmingham Royal Ballet splits its company in two....part go "north" and part go "south"....bringing great dance to many smaller cities across the United Kingdom. It also gives many of the dancers opportunities to perform roles they've only under-studied or danced occasionally. It allows "third cast" to become "first" or "second" cast. It brings quality live performances into intimate places, instilling the love of movement and music in the hearts and souls of people who can't always make it to the "big city". It also affords local newspapers to cover the productions!

So....here's what David Bellan said in the Oxfordshire Limited Edition:
(Read it HERE as well!

The South African-born choreographer John Cranko is best known for his long directorship of Stuttgart Ballet, where he produced masterpieces, usually story ballets, for the superlative dancers at his disposal there. Brouillards, (Fog), however, is a plotless series of episodes in which the choreographer responds to Debussy’s music of that title. “Mist, snow, heather and sails are passing pictures in the music, leaving behind no more than sadness and memories of transient beauty,” Cranko said.

The work has a dream-like quality in which what we have seen seems to melt away as the final ensemble comes to a close. But there is humour, too. There’s a very funny Cake Walk by James Barton, Mathias Dingman and Kit Holder in which they dance, stiff as puppets, arms by sides with hands poking out sideways. They look slightly perplexed by what they are doing, and finally collapse on the stage. Among other highlights is a beautiful slow duet with Ambra Vallo and Jamie Bond, and Alexander Campbell’s solo expressing his love for a sleeping, uncaring girl.

David Bintley made The Dance House, inspired by Shostakovich’s first piano concerto, in memory of dancer Nick Millington, who died in his mid-thirties.This, again, is a series of pieces for various combinations of dancers, filled with a calm beauty, and demonstrating once again, in its phrasing, Bintley’s great musicality. Quite outstanding is the duet by Natasha Oughtred and Matthew Lawrence, with its many floating lifts and beautiful line.

Nowadays the name Balanchine brings to mind a whole series of abstract, neo-classical works that made his name, but when he left Diaghilev and went to the United States he worked a lot in musical theatre, even producing a ballet for 50 circus elephants in pink tutus, with music by Stravinsky. On Your Toes, with choreography by Balanchine and music by Richard Rogers, is a backstage story of jealousy over the favours of a ballerina — too complex to go in to here — but the finale of the show is a ballet — Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (right).

This on its own forms the final part of the triple bill. Set in Kate Ford’s amusing nightclub, with towering skyscrapers in the shape of high-heeled legs, this is an enjoyable romp, with showgirls, gangsters, bar-men and cops. The centrepiece is a long duet featuring Robert Parker and slinky, sexy Celine Gittens — dressed, apparently, only in a fishnet body-stocking. It ends with a multiple shooting, and makes a lively conclusion to the evening.

The Making of Swan Lake, Part 3: Opening Night

The Making of Swan Lake, Part 3: Opening Night

Here's a marvelous review....including mention of Mathias!