June 2, Our Last Day in Town

He Said:

Today is our last day in London, going home tomorrow...
We walked 5 or 6 miles, went on a forgettable canal boat trip, had fish & chips in a Pub, and got caught in a sharp shower. That's a great day, now we just need to figure out how to get all this stuff into our suitcases for the flight home.

We found out later that the pub we went to for lunch was a location for the 2016 movie 'Allied'. There were signed photos on the wall from both Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. Once we viewed the movie on the plane, we saw the scenes shot in that pub: The Warwick Castle near Little Venice.

She Said:

It is quite nice to be staying in a good hotel in a good location in London. We are in Kensington, and we can walk anywhere from here.

Our goal for today was to walk to Little Venice and ride a canal boat down to Camden Locks and back.

Such a relaxing stroll through some neighborhoods that we had not been in before. Mostly posh; a bit grimy when we walked across a bridge near Paddington Station; delightful once we arrived in Little Venice. Little Venice got its name from Robert Browning who said it reminded him of the waterways in Venice.

It does not.

Little Venice has one canal and some canal boats moored along its length. The residential streets around the canal seem affluent.

So, once again, we paid our money and took our chances – on the Waterbus. All would have been dreamy if we were not on the same bus as a group (26!) of Czechs or Bulgarians or Israelis or whoever they were. In any case, they were loud and boisterous and we couldn’t hear anything the tour guide was saying.

Sigh.

Still, it’s always nice to be on the water. We floated slowly towards Camden Locks and surrendered to the day.

Camden Locks is a crazy tourist trap of a place, so we stayed on board on arrival there and took the same boat back on a return trip to Little Venice. The return trip was much quieter and really very pleasant.

Of course, the original intent of the canal was to transport goods along the canal, but also to the adjoining system of canals, and ultimately, throughout England. There is a tow path along the canal where traders would “tow” their boats along the canal with horses. Once the railroads arrived, that all changed and the canals in England are used now for leisure.

Back in Little Venice, we tucked into The Warwick Arms pub and enjoyed our last real Fish & Chips meal of our vacation. R had a swift half, and we began our stroll back to our hotel. We got a bit waylaid in Hyde Park – such a beautiful day. We found some soft grass under two giant chestnut trees and just laid down and stared up through the branches for an hour. Tranquil, quiet, restful. A perfect end to our day.

On the last few blocks’ walk back, the thunder started and the skies opened and the rains came down. We found a group of close-knit trees to huddle under as we watched the sharp showers rumble through and over us. The trees shielded us – very minimal wetness!

20 minutes later, the sun came out and we were again on our way.

Salads tonight for dinner, as we rearrange our suitcases and prepare for our flight home. It has been a tremendous trip.

I will sleep well tonight and dream of our next adventure!

Miles – 5.6

Photos:

Walking to Little Venice