Little Venice

If you asked me about a bucket list, my very short one would have included staying on a narrowboat in England. Last night we did just that. We are staying in Little Venice which is quite near Paddington Station. It was only a short walk along a canal to get to our boat yesterday. Again, it was quieter than on Dale Road last night. I was wakened by a few short bursts of sirens in the night, but not another noise.

This morning, we heard a lot of noise - the excited chatter of a group of kids on an educational excursion. This charity provides learning experiences for kids who qualify for school lunches.

We had slept in and decided that this day was going to be a "palate cleanser". A calm day between a few days on each side of activity. We'd seen some excursion narrowboats docked along the side of the canal when we were out and about looking for food last night. Joel booked a 12:15 one way trip up the canal to Camden Market.

When we disembarked from our boat, I asked Joel which way to go? (I ask that a lot) Joel and Google Maps are good freinds. This morning, Google Maps was jerking Joel around a bit. It showed a horseshoe where we were standing. We were a bit confused, but then clued in that the excursion boat was RIGHT BEHIND our boat!

By chance we were on a narrowboat which was built by the same company that built the Titanic. It had transported over 1,000,000 passengers in its 100+ years.

And, there go some more excited kids!

Sorry for the poor photos. It had been sprinkling a bit and the windows were not the cleanest.

Camden Market was a mishmash of tacky souvenir sellers, fast food and humanity. We stayed long enough to buy a nice bun to eat on the walk back.

Overlooking the canal in Little Venice are some pretty pricey homes. Our tour guides told us that one has sold for £45,000,000. A mere 84.6 million Canadian dollars. Some are not inhabited.

There was a little pathway leading from the towpath up to this church. Churches are struggling to stay solvent. This one had a little bakery and sold drinks in a building in the corner of their property.

Joel noticed that health and safety might not have been the order of the day when this boat was designed. Notice where the black smoke is going? And, notice what the driver is wearing? A gas mask.

Walking the 5 miles back to our boat, there were big stretches of pure nature on both sides of the canal. The London Zoo straddles the canal for quite a distance. I just realized that the London Zoo is in the Regent's Park - 166 ha. No wonder it was so quiet.

There were some stately gardens on both sides of the canal.....

... but below them, next to the water there was another world of narrow boats and the community that comes with them.

They have very serious speed bumps.

Messiness....

... and tidiness within a stone's throw of each other.

I am glad we are having a quiet day. It will help me to get over the first cold I've had in over 5 years.

And, there's our home!  I think a nap is in order.

7,020 steps.