Mark in London and The World

Finally, a chance to visit another Cathedral, and a great way to get there! The Thames Link The Thames Link is a relatively new train service that provides service between the town of Bedford, 46 miles North of London) to the seaside resort town of Brighton, 47 miles South of London. But the route the train takes through central London has provided great improvements to getting to places within London, as well....

Taking the Thames Link to St. Albans and the Tate Modern Finally, a chance to visit another Cathedral, and a great way to get there! The Thames Link The Thames Link is a relatively new train service that provides service between the town of Bedford, 46 m…

Bad Traffic, Bad Foot It has been a tough couple of weeks, as my plantar fasciitis has continued to slow me down. In aid of saving steps, I decided to take a Black Cab down to the Tate Britain. I'm always amused at the discussions I have with London cabbies. This fellow wanted to make sure I knew where I wanted to go....

Things to do, Places to go Bad Traffic, Bad Foot It has been a tough couple of weeks, as my plantar fasciitis has continued to slow me down. In aid of saving steps, I decided to take a Black Cab down to the Tate Britain. I& #…

Meeting up with my friends from Normandy. Wonderful to see Laurianne Sourbé and Tom,
(left and right), Olivier and my dear pal Lesley Coutts. East India docks on a rainy Sunday.

Another new post at Mark in London

Historic Parallels-Historic Photographs-And the Show Goes On Beyond The Baseline Tropical Modernism. Over the course of two days, I visited two exhibits, “Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music,” at the British Library and “T…

A new season of my adventures begins.

A New Adventure and a Job Done And so, I have returned to London. My first week has been one of slowly working on getting my legs and feet back in shape. An early spring strain of my calf muscles which led to a flare up of plant…

https://markinlondonandtheworld.com/2023/12/15/a-quick-visit-to-the-city-of-the-hills-oneonta-ny/

A Quick Visit to the City of the Hills, Oneonta, NY Main Street, Oneonta, NY If my Alma Mater invites me to return “to the mother ship,” as my fellow alums of a certain ‘booming’ era call it, I’m likely to respond with …

A trip to my alma mater

A Quick Visit to the City of the Hills, Oneonta, NY Main Street, Oneonta, NY If my Alma Mater invites me to return “to the mother ship,” as my fellow alums of a certain ‘booming’ era call it, I’m likely to respond with …

New Blog

I Went To Kansas City Kansas City, And Came Home Black Fly-Day The day after Thanksgiving, I strapped a plane to my butt (as my friend Roz often puts it), and flew to Kansas City, MO, via Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. After a healthy hike…

Special Blog Post My trip to Kansas City

I Went To Kansas City Kansas City, And Came Home Black Fly-Day The day after Thanksgiving, I strapped a plane to my butt (as my friend Roz often puts it), and flew to Kansas City, MO, via Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. After a healthy hike…

Sorry this took so long. No excuse beyond the usual, jet lag and idleness. A Long-Anticipated Oneonta Visit The Final Chapter started with the arrival of Gwen Schuster, a longtime friend I know through SUNY Oneonta. Gwen and I first formally met when we served together on the Alumni Board of our alma mater a few decades ago. I had known her before as "that red haired lady who always won some golf contest at the alumni weekend golf tournament"....

The Last Tango, What A Nine Days! Sorry this took so long. No excuse beyond the usual, jet lag and idleness. A Long-Anticipated Oneonta Visit The Final Chapter started with the arrival of Gwen Schuster, a longtime friend I know thr…

We had a rainy week in London. It did start on a nice enough note and I was able to start the week with a very nice walk down to Wigmore Hall for the only Monday midday concert on this trip. Before I left, I dropped my laundry off at the local launderette (EastEnders fans may shed a tear her for Pauline Fowler and Dot Cotton-others may scratch their heads)....

When it Rains it Pours-Wigmore Hall, Museums, A West End Delight and “Foreign Friends” We had a rainy week in London. It did start on a nice enough note and I was able to start the week with a very nice walk down to Wigmore Hall for the only Monday midday concert on this trip. Before…

The Brunel Museum When my friends Steward and Kerry invited me to meet them at the Brunel Museum, I knew it would be an interesting day. Stewart is one of Nigel's brothers and the extended Grant family has yet to let me down on excursions around London and the Home Counties. This journey took via the London Overground to Rotherhithe Station near the Thames to the site of the Museum that recognizes Marc Brunel's incredible achievements of creating his tunnel shield, in affect a human tunnel version of the 20th century tunnel boring machine and the successful completion of the world's first tunnel beneath a navigable body of water anywhere in the world....

Brunel, Gorillas, A Record Shop and an Unexpected Priory The Brunel Museum When my friends Steward and Kerry invited me to meet them at the Brunel Museum, I knew it would be an interesting day. Stewart is one of Nigel’s brothers and the extended Gr…

Octopolis Cover of the programme from the Hamstead Theatre I've had many interesting theatre experiences over the years that I have been coming to London. I've seen some shows about unusual topics too. I don't think I would have anticipated seen one about a woman, a man, being brought together by their shared interest in an octopus. But I did, and the two actors were amazing....

Octopolis, The Tate Britain, and A Big Win for Fulham Octopolis Cover of the programme from the Hamstead Theatre I’ve had many interesting theatre experiences over the years that I have been coming to London. I’ve seen some shows about unu…

Immersive Experience The art immersive experience has been around for a while. I had booked the Monet experience a while ago and had almost forgotten that I had the ticket. Luckily, the organizers sent an email reminder. It was at the same location as the previous one I went to last year, off of Brick Lane in one of London's old ethnic neighborhoods that have seen different waves of immigrants enter into British life over the centuries....

Monet, A Special Month, and A Secret Garden Immersive Experience The art immersive experience has been around for a while. I had booked the Monet experience a while ago and had almost forgotten that I had the ticket. Luckily, the organizers …

Returning to Wigmore Hall This week's floral display It was a splendid Sunday morning that found me back at Wigmore Hall. I arrived with plenty of time to enjoy my coffee and relax and appreciate the bar/cafe before the performance. The staff here is always so friendly Great photos line the walls This time, it was Beethoven, Brahms and Piazzolla being performed by Maciej Kutakowski (cello) and Jean-Selim Abdelimoula (piano)....

Music, Churches, Unexpected Things, and More Red Dragons Returning to Wigmore Hall This week’s floral display It was a splendid Sunday morning that found me back at Wigmore Hall. I arrived with plenty of time to enjoy my coffee and relax and apprec…

Sunday in the Park in the Rain Sunday morning started to look like we might miss the predicted rain. Not that I got out into the morning sun, I had a few hours of blog work to do, so I cracked on with it...well after BBC's "Match of the Day" ended. I had to watch until the end because Fulham was the last match covered....

Rain, Vaccinations, Banksy and a Red Dragon Lunch Sunday in the Park in the Rain Sunday morning started to look like we might miss the predicted rain. Not that I got out into the morning sun, I had a few hours of blog work to do, so I cracked on w…

Chile 50 Years After the Coup When I arrived in London, I heard about a lecture at the nearby British National Library. The lecture's title, "Chile 50 Years After the Coup" intrigued me, so I signed up for a ticket. The weeks quickly passed, as they always do during my three-month sojourns, and I found myself in the first soaking downpour of my stay splashing my way across the Euston Road to the library one evening....

Chile’s Past, A Meet-Up With a Friend, And Fulham FC! Chile 50 Years After the Coup When I arrived in London, I heard about a lecture at the nearby British National Library. The lecture’s title, “Chile 50 Years After the Coup” intrig…

The Proms Last Night of the Prom Participants Royal Albert Hall I don't always manage to get a ticket to one of the Proms, the BBC annual summer celebration of (mostly) classical music at Royal Albert Hall, but I try never to miss the last night, even if it is only watching it on TV. What is so special about the last night of the Proms?...

Music, Music, Music! Last Night of the Proms First Morning at Wigmore Hall The Proms Last Night of the Prom Participants Royal Albert Hall I don’t always manage to get a ticket to one of the Proms, the BBC annual summer celebration of (mostly) classical music at Roy…

Above, the obligatory photographs across the Thames from the Tate Modern's Member's Bar Balcony. I Never Know What to Expect I have an unusual relationship with the Tate Modern Art Gallery. I love modern art. I am always willing to dive into something new and controversial. My heart sings at colors, the most abstract use of colors tells me things that others do not understand....

Returning to the Tate Modern Above, the obligatory photographs across the Thames from the Tate Modern’s Member’s Bar Balcony. I Never Know What to Expect I have an unusual relationship with the Tate Modern Art Gall…

Lunch with Nigel without his photo. I arrived a bit early at Caffe Nero and grabbed a coffee and a table and waited for my good friend Nigel to arrive for an afternoon chat session. Nigel had been away on holiday with his family and I waiting to hear all the news of time spent with his lovely wife Gwynne, two sons and daughters-in-law and four grandchildren who he and Gwynne love spending time with....

With September Comes the Sun and Church Hunt Returns Lunch with Nigel without his photo. I arrived a bit early at Caffe Nero and grabbed a coffee and a table and waited for my good friend Nigel to arrive for an afternoon chat session. Nigel had been …

As the clock in Waterloo Train Station ticked on, the time of my train to Portsmouth Harbour to meet the ferry that would take me to Normandie grew near. I knew I was close to the platform and gate, my electronic ticket was in my email on my phone and....my phone, for reasons best known to it, had locked me out of all password-protected apps and, thus would not let me access my email or my e-ticket....

The Dog Days of August in Normandie, France As the clock in Waterloo Train Station ticked on, the time of my train to Portsmouth Harbour to meet the ferry that would take me to Normandie grew near. I knew I was close to the platform and gate…

I have been neglecting my seeking out and finding of new churches to visit. Yesterday, I found myself at a loose end and decided to take a walk down to Covent Garden to get a start on my daily steps and figure out what I would do with the day. As I walked around the piazza at Covent Garden, I noticed a sign for St....

The Actors’ Church and Memories of Steps Taken I have been neglecting my seeking out and finding of new churches to visit. Yesterday, I found myself at a loose end and decided to take a walk down to Covent Garden to get a start on my daily step…

I was going to title this "Sorry, it took me a while to find a phone. Perhaps it was Fulham's tragic loss to at the weekend to Brentford and the concurrent loss of their star goal scorer Aleksander Mitrovitch to the Saudi league, but I have had a form of writer's block. I have been writing and rewriting this blog entry, but all that has come out have been rants about pet peeves of mine....

Return to the V&A and Flowers I was going to title this “Sorry, it took me a while to find a phone. Perhaps it was Fulham’s tragic loss to at the weekend to Brentford and the concurrent loss of their star goal score…

https://markinlondonandtheworld.com/2023/08/14/my-beef-with-the-national-portrait-gallery-continues-and-other-world-news/

My Beef With the National Portrait Gallery Continues and Other World News

Britain's National Portrait Gallery (BNG) is a fine institution that I have enjoyed visiting for lo these many years. It has been closed for a major facelift for the last several years and today was the first time that I visited the newly refreshed location. It is as interesting and provocative as ever. But somebody is still missing. Somebody important and somebody whose omission I have pointed out to them for many times since April of 2005....

My Beef With the National Portrait Gallery Continues and Other World News Britain’s National Portrait Gallery (BNG) is a fine institution that I have enjoyed visiting for lo these many years. It has been closed for a major facelift for the last several years and to…

New Post.

Theatre Days-transported to Oklahoma, Vienna and Pest without leaving London. If you follow me on Facebook, you will know that Wednesday, August 9th, 2023, was a special day. It was the 100th anniversary of my mother, Jacqueline Margaret Nehls Delligatti’s birth. Coinc…

If you follow me on Facebook, you will know that Wednesday, August 9th, 2023, was a special day. It was the 100th anniversary of my mother, Jacqueline Margaret Nehls Delligatti's birth. Coincidentally, it was the day that I had booked a ticket to see a revival of Rogers and Hammerstein's 'Oklahoma.' The connection of these two events is that a previous revival of 'Oklahoma' was the first professional theater production that I ever saw in New York City in the mid-1960s....

Theatre Days-transported to Oklahoma, Vienna and Pest without leaving London. If you follow me on Facebook, you will know that Wednesday, August 9th, 2023, was a special day. It was the 100th anniversary of my mother, Jacqueline Margaret Nehls Delligatti’s birth. Coinc…

https://markinlondonandtheworld.com/2023/08/06/hoss-and-joe-adam-know-cartwright-is-their-name/

Hoss and Joe, Adam know-Cartwright is their name. Yes, those are the Cartwrights from Bonanza in the very first picture of the August 2023 edition of “Mark In London and the World.” For those too young to remember the TV classic. The l…

Special Nashville post updated.

A Visit to Nashville, Tennessee The perfect opportunity arose for me to visit two of my favorite people in the world, college classmates Bob (better known as Duke) and Kathy Gallagher. Like me, they grew up on Long Island, New Yo…

Last Australia blog up.

One Last Museum, One Last Boat, One Last Toast, One Last Australia Blog. See You in August. Our last full day in Melbourne came much too quickly. It’s funny, one the one hand, I think, we both wanted to get out and get started, but we also sort of wanted to enjoy having the luxury o…