Felsöörs Church - A Romanesque Beauty!

Felsöörs is an Hungarian village that lies to the north of Lake Balaton in the Balaton-uplands. And, Felsöörs has an interesting church. The Church of Mary Magdalena. And, this beautiful church is not only Hungary's second oldest church, it is also a Romanesque gem.

The Church of Mary Magdalena goes back more than 500 years. And, in its time, this church of great beauty and strength has survived periods of war, periods of light, very dark times, invasions and even one or two fires. And, the Church of Mary Magdalena in Felsöörs has its very own story as well.

One of the villagers told me of a secret tunnel that used to run from the church to an airfield in a clearing nearby. And, from there, in the Second World War, resistance fighters were flown out to safety by the British. A wonderful story. But, sadly, no traces remain of this life saving tunnel that really did have a light at its end.

But happily, the wonderful Romanesque beauty of the Church of Mary Magdalene is no secret at all. It's easy to find. And so, if you find yourself in the Balaton Uplands, stop off at Felsöörs and go into the church. It's well worth a visit. And, if you're lucky, you may even catch one of the many fine concerts that are put on in this church. Its acoustics are great.

The Church of Mary Magdalena in Felsöörs. A picturesque church with feelings of peace that are set in the feelings of ancient belief.

Felsöörs - a picturesque village and a timeless place for a wonderful visit.

Vocabulary

airfield – Flugplatz

amazed – erstaunt

clearing - Lichtung

experienced – erlebte

nave – Schiff

picturesque – lieblich

remarkable – bemerkenswert

resistance fighters – Widerstandskämpfer

secret – geheim

traces - Spurren

MORE INFO – www.felsoors.hu

(B) - My Little Nut Tree

 

Trees are wonders of nature. There is something about them that everyone loves. And, I have a tree in my life. It's a nut tree. It arrived one year in July. Still very small. And, as I planted this little nut tree, I thought of its chances. The summer was hot and still getting hotter, and, all around, plants were wilting and dying. The Hungarian sun was simply too strong.

But, not everything dies. Weeds are the perfect example. And, I started watering my tree.  And, little by little, this little nut tree began to get bigger and bigger. I was sure we had won. But, at the end of the summer,  this little nut tree was still very small. Too small, I believed,  to survive until spring.

April arrived and back to my garden I went. And, the first thing I did was to look for my tree. But, something had happened. My little nut tee had become even smaller! The little nut tree had been eaten by pigs. All that was left was a thin naked stem. I was sure my little nut tree was dead! Then, three or four days later a small shoot appeared. Then came another and another, and soon there were seven or eight little shoots. My nut tree was strong, it had little leaves. Its chances were good!

And, the next winter it was eaten again! And, again it survived. And, again, it came back to life. That was eight years ago. And, now my little nut tree isn't little any more. It is two metres high and impressive. But, it still has a long way to go. Nut trees grow very high and can live for sixty-five years.

Trees have a great strength. My little nut tree  survived two very hard winters and was twice eaten alive. Trees are wonders of nature. There is something about them that everyone loves and admires. And, now, my very little nut tree has grown into a very big nut tree. Its nuts are delicious and its shadow is great. My little nut tree.  It  came long ago.

Vocabulary

another – noch ein

appear – (appear/appeared/appeared) – erscheine

believe – (believe/believed/believed) – glauben

daily – täglich

impressive – beeindruckend

leaves pl. von leaf - Blatt/Blätter

once - einmal

plant – (plant/planted/planted) - einsetzen / pflanzen

shoot – Trieb

simply – einfach

soon – bald

stem – Stiel

sure – sicher

survive – (survive/survived/survived) – überleben

twice – zwei Mal

water (to water/watered/watered) – gießen (to water the plants)

weeds – Unkraut

wilting – (wilt/wilted/wilted) – verwelken

Blog – Nut tree essay

(B) Dada - A very brief history

Dada – A very brief history

Dada was an intellectual movement that started in Zurich in 1916. The world was at war, and neutral Switzerland had become a refuge for artists opposed to the war. And, Zurich, with its colony of foreign free thinking intellectuals, was perfect for Dada.

In the summer of 1916, Hugo Ball read his Dada manifesto in the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. Simply put, Dada was against everything to do with the war and against everything bourgeoisie that had led to the start of the war.

And, Dada was exciting and always scurile. Dada included poetry, painting,writing, theatre and everything else imaginable, too. And, Dada hit the right note. Dada quickly spread from Zurich to the rest of the world.

There were Dada movements everywhere. And, the people involved were impressive. Amongst them, Francis Picabra, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch, and very many other fine individualists, too.

But, Dada, in its original form, only lasted until 1922. Its reason for being had run out of steam. No war and nothing to object to.

And, nowadays, Dada still lives on as a living Dada museum. There are still many Dada groups throughout the world. And, they faithfully continue to put on, perform and recite original Dada. And, the Cabaret Voltaire has become a shrine to the sacred memory of Dada and Hugo Ball.

And, why not? Dada, after all, was a movement that burned with a passion of white hot feeling. Dada questioned, rejected and questioned again. Nothing was sacred, not even Dada itself.

Dada's demise was due to its attempts at self-regulation and the making of rules. And, that wasn't Dada! Dada was a child of its time that sadly never grew up! And that, in a way, was Dada as well. Nj – 2016

Vocabulary

demise – the end

founded – started

it turned out – as it happened

movements – active groups

refuge – place of safety

Questions

What was Dada against?

Why did Dada start in Switzerland?

Why was Zurich perfect for Dada?

Who founded the Cabaret Voltaire?

What did Dada include?

Why did Dada become international?

What are your feelings towards Dada?

 Nj – 2016

(B) Bill Guthrie

All at Sea - By Nigel A. JAMES

Bill Guthrie – The Night The Blue Wonder Saved Him 

Everyone in Toorington has one thing in common. Cleanliness. And, that's why everyone knows William Guthrie. And, William Guthrie, or Bill as everyone calls him, produces and sells cleaning materials. And, his wide range of very exciting products includes WC cleaners, floor cleaners, window cleaners, and paper towels, too, And, all of Bill's products are very, very good – and -so much so – that over the years Bill has made very much money. Bill is a very rich man. And, his hobby is very expensive. Bill is a sailor.

And, it was eight years ago that Bill had an adventure. The night he didn't come back! Bill and a few very good friends had gone out to sea for an afternoon sail. The weather was fine, in fact just right for an afternoon's sailing. And, his yacht, The Blue Wonder, which Bill had named after his best selling WC cleaner, was handling well. Sunday afternoon out at sea – a wonderful end of a super weekend. But, then came the fog.

And, round and round The Blue Wonder went. This way and that way, and, with the sea getting rougher and rougher, Bill and his friends were beginning to worry. There was nothing to see, no stars to guide them, they had zero visibility. But, there were the sirens and they were loud. The Blue Wonder was sailing in the middle of shipping. This was a dangerous voyage. But, Bill kept a clear head, and later that night The Blue Wonder sailed into port. Dry land again. And there, just over the road was a bar.

And, then came the real surprise. The barman couldn't speak English. And, nor could anyone else. They were in France. And, they couldn't believe it. But, they were happy and thankful – they were alive. And, the meal that they had was better than anything in England. French cooking is the best in the world!

And, in the morning they sailed home to England. The fog had lifted. And, as they sailed into port Bill looked up to the sky and whispered a thank you. He understood how lucky they were!

Everyone in Toorington has one thing in common. Everyone knows William Guthrie. And, that day in the fog out at sea was almost his last. But, Bill understood how lucky he was. The Blue Wonder was more than a boat, it was really a wonder as well!

Bill Guthrie – The Night The Blue Wonder Saved Him

(A) - Hilary Benson

Hilary Benson's Street in London

This is the true story of a little girl who lives in the City of London.  

She has a fine little garden with three really beautiful trees.

Written and read by Nigel A. JAMES