BEAUTIFUL EVENTS NOW: 06.28.13
GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL: June 28 - 30 (2013)
The annual collective backyard bash, known as Glastonbury Festival, is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. Glastonbury 2013 begins tonight, with performances by the Arctic Monkeys, Portishead, and Chic & Nile Rodgers. Everyone is here to have a wild time in their own way.
PALIO DI SIENA: July 2 (2013)
We love going to the Palio di Siena (known locally simply as Il Palio). It is a spectacular horse race that is held twice each year, on July 2 and August 16, in Siena, Italy. The Palio held on July 2 is named Palio di Provenzano, in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano, who has a church in Siena. A magnificent medieval pageant, the Corteo Storico, precedes the race. It takes no more than 90 seconds for the ten jockeys, dressed in court-jester-like colors and patterns, to race bareback, in three sharp circles around the Piazza del Campo. Often a few jockeys are thrown off their mounts, but no worries, their horses still finish the race.
WIMBLEDON: June 24 – July 7 (2013)
Wimbledon is an annual treat for the BN team. We’ve just been yesterday and looking forward to more over the next week.
The Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, on at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877. It is the crown jewel of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments (Majors), and the only one played on a grass court. We love it for the unparalleled tennis thrill, but also for the gorgeous experience of being there on the perfectly manicured grounds, bedecked with millions of purple and white flowers. We love to people watch, many dressed to the nines, spotting celebs and royals, and scores of exuberant, yet extremely civil fans. Fresh Grade 1 Kent strawberries & cream and pink champagne are traditional must-haves that help keep our heads turning left, right, left, right, left, right..... on for hours as we watch the bright chartreuse balls arc over the net while we cheer our favorites on.
If you are lucky enough to score tickets at Centre Court, not only will you’ll watch the biggest stars play, but you will have a merciful roof roll into place at the first spritz of rain (a frequent occurrence in London). Otherwise, enjoy top notch action at Court No. 1 and lots at the other 17 courts clustered at the center of the 42-acre grounds.
While some of our faves (Nadal and Federer), have already been knocked out in the past few days, there are plenty of stars to see over the remaining days, like Andy Murray, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic. And of course it’s exciting to see who is on the rise. All are out for glory and a piece of the £22,560,000 in prize money up for grabs this year.
Photo: Truus, Bob & Jan too!
FESTIVAL DEL CENTENARIO: ARENA DI VERONA: Now through September 6 (2013)
Attending a summer performance at Arena di Verona, an ancient Roman amphitheatre in Verona, Italy, is an opera lover’s dream come true. In fact, even if you are not such a big opera fan, you are bound to be in rapture as you sit under the stars in this ancient setting, listening to world class voices soar and dive, watching the fabulous costumes move across breathtaking sets. Tonight, you’ll see La Traviata, but if you can’t get there that fast, check out the schedule for the rest of the season, now until early September. There’s plenty more to come, including wonderful performances of Aida, Rigoletto, Roméo et Juliette, Nabucco, and other greats.
While you are there, you can enjoy the beautiful ancient city of Verona, a World Heritage Site prized for its urban structure and architecture.
104 (CENTQUATRE): Now through Summer
Montmartre is once again a center of art in Paris. 104 Centquatre is a space that now occupies a massive renovated 19th century building there. It is a hotbed for creativity and culture.
CENTQUATRE is a creative incubator, working to promote, "Innovation in the creation, the creation of innovation," with the development of young companies at the intersection of creativity and innovation. CENTQUATRE promotes all genres of art performance and digital art, including theater, dance, music, film, video, and culinary arts.
Now on at 104:
1) Labo with the National School of Circus Arts in Rosny-sous-Bois
A work which deals primarily with everything and nothing, a group of disparate ideas.
2) Festival de Paris Cinema: Murmures de la villes
This year at Centquatre, Paris Cinema is presenting Murmures de la Villes (Whispers of the City), a program of screenings about Street Art, featuring Keith Haring, Banksy, Mr Cat, Agnes Varda, Chris Marker, and other street artists.
FESTIVAL DE L’IMAGINAIRE: Now Through June 29 (2013)
The Festival de l'Imaginaire in Paris invites young designers and masters in the fields of music, dance, theater, and ritual performance, to come and delight international audiences, as it has for the past 17 years.
Now on: Sema Ceremony of Sufi Mevlevi
You’ll hear songs and instrumental music as you watch the famous whirling dance of the dervishes. Dip into Sufism, the mystical Islam religion of the heart and mind. Whirling is a technique of contemplation, based on prayer and the spiritual hearing, that promotes an ecstatic fusion between the dancers, God, and community, just as the planets revolve around the sun, and everything in this world revolves around a center. Litanies and singing to the glory of God, the prophet of Rumi and Sufi saints are supported by an Ottoman instrumental ensemble, including a long-necked lute tanbur, a short-necked lute ud, a small breach kemençe the zither kanun, cymbals Halile and timpani Kudum, and finally oblique flute ney and drum bendir framework are essential instruments Sufi ritual.
Get out and experience a beautiful week ahead! We hope to see you at one of these extraordinary events. And stay tuned each week this summer as we bring you more beautiful places and times to enjoy.
