Adventure, Fun, London

The RGS Explore Symposium 2024 Expedition Workshop

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Over the years Ellie & I have occasionally attended events at the Royal Geographic Society here in London and always enjoyed them. Recently, at Ranulph Fiennes’ Transglobe Expedition series of events, I got to chat with the RGS’s Expeditions and Fieldwork Manager, Tom Allen. This is how I learned about the RGS Explore Symposium 2024, in essence, an expedition workshop for anyone who is interested. There is no other requirement, no previous experience necessary, you don’t even have to have a plan to do an expedition in the future. At £125 per person, with discounts available for students and others, the event is very reasonably priced, too.   TURNING ELLIE INTO AN EXPLORER, STEP ONE Almost a bit to my surprise, Ellie immediately agreed to join me at the Royal Geographic Society, when I pitched the Explore idea to her. I was rather pleased (and still am!). It is my […]

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Activities, London, Water sports

Kayaking from Battersea to Greenwich with the London Kayak Company

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Ellie and I moved to London roughly 20 years ago, and for 20 years we’ve been seeing the yellow kayaks of the London Kayak Company on the river Thames. Every time we saw them, we said to each other, that we must book a tour with them. But for one reason or another, we never got up to any paddling. Until yesterday late afternoon. THE LONDON KAYAK COMPANY WAS FOUNDED ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO Harry, the founder, owner, and lead guide, runs most tours himself. Since 1996. For almost 30 years. He has one other guide, occasionally joining him or running tours on his behalf.     All pics, incl. feature photo, (c) London Kayak Company, kindly taken by Harry on the day. HOW TO BOOK WITH THE LONDON KAYAK COMPANY We purchased our two tickets for the regular three-hour Thames tour on the London Kayak Company’s website two weeks […]

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Food, London, London restaurants

ICCO Pizza in Fitzrovia and Camden Town, London – Best value pizza in town!

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Ellie & I visited ICCO Pizza earlier today and we enjoyed our meal. Founded in Camden Town, North London, in 1999, the family-owned and -operated pizza place opened their Fitzrovia outlet in Goodge Street (corner Charlotte Street) a few years later. ICCO stands for The Italian Coffee Company, and the two restaurants plus a further three delivery outlets in the suburbs are the only business the Company runs.   THE BIG LONDON PIZZA DROUGHT OF 2020 TO 2024 Over the past few years, we’ve seen many of our favourite pizza places close down (like IPC and Guste Remo in Bayswater) or go a bit downhill (like Sicily in Belgravia or Forno Pizza in Lambeth). Others charge insane amounts of money for a 12-inch (like 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo near Trafalgar Square, where a bit of flat, oven-baked dough with sparse toppings can set you back £16 or more). We’ve […]

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Art and Culture, London, Plays

White Rabbit Red Rabbit at Soho Place – Further dates added, don’t miss out!

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Ellie and I had never heard of Nassim Soleimanpour or his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, quite possibly to our shame. A week ago, I had stumbled across one of the many adverts all over social media these days. After a quick consultation with my dear wife, I immediately booked the last two tickets that were still available for the performance the following day. A STAR-STUDDED WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT LINE-UP It all sounded pretty fascinating. 46 actors. Many, like Rory Kinnear, Lenny Henry, Toby Jones, Catherine Tate, Paloma Faith, and Michael Sheen very big names (full list here). Each performance, a different actor takes to the stage. He or she finds a table with two glasses of water on it, as well as a chair with a sealed envelope on it, which contains the script. There is no director. The lighting remains bright and unchanged throughout. We are being […]

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Art and Culture, London

Frieze London Art Fair 2024 – Still fun, but not as good as it once was

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I had initially planned on being at sea until mid-October, so it was a pleasant surprise that Ellie was able to get me a press pass for Frieze London on short notice (she got one, too, but due to work commitments will only be visiting this weekend). For many years, we have hardly ever missed a visit. Depending on how you count, Frieze London is ranking somewhere between #3 and #6 of the world’s most prominent art fairs. The only two events that always rank higher are the Venice Biennale and Art Basel. NOT THE BEST OF TIME FOR ARTS Like most other commentators, Ellie and I have noticed a decline in the wow-factor and artistic value of the exhibited works in recent years. There are many reasons for this. Maybe most of all, art itself got a little bit more boring. Ten, fifteen years ago, there were still many […]

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