In brilliant sunshine we wandered across to the Columbia Road Flower Market, where every Sunday Columbia Road is transformed into a garden oasis of flower, and plant stalls. Art and craft stores line the street, amidst the hawk and cry of the merchants peddling their wares. As I thank you to our host we bought three red Geraniums for five pounds, which was to have unintended consequences, proving once and for all that, 'no good deed goes unpunished.'
Making our purchase we escaped the bustle, by catching the train to Camden Town, the home of the mother of all markets, Camden Market (pictured below).
As you can see it is clearly London's most popular market, except they don't close the street. Needless, to say we didn't linger long and made our way up the hill to Camden Lock (pictured below). For information on Camden Markets click on their website at the Further Information part of the blog. I can say that there are a wide variety of shops, well frequented by customers.
Seeing those canal boats yesterday sparked my interest. I imagined myself meandering along, exploring these quiet canals. Perhaps I could rent one. I found the next best thing. The London Waterbus Company - http://www.londonwaterbus.com/.
"Cruises along the historic Regents Canal as it slips quietly along the green and leafy fringes of Regents Park.
Trips from Brownings Pool at Little Venice, where the island is surrounded by the elegant graciousness of
regency architecture, through the damp dark mysteriousness of the Maida Hill tunnel, to the lively bustle of
Camden Lock , the famous market for everything from craftshops and
clothing to the interesting and unusual."
The blurb above from their website had me hooked. Hooked.
Their canal boats run from Camden Lock on the Regents Canal (pictured below) to Little Venice, stopping at the London Zoo along the way. This would be a great trip to incorporate with a day out in London to the zoo.
The canal boat ride to Little Venice costs 8 Pounds per adult, well worth it in my opinion, for it gives a different perspective on London.
Elegant mansions line Regents Canal many with their private moorings. Slipping along the water I had to agree with the Water Rat from Wind in the Willows who said, Tthere is NOTHING - absolute nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
The trip terminates at Little Venice a small broadwater near Warwick Avenue Station, where we catch 'the tube' to Farringdon Station.
British cuisine has been coming to attention of late. Then there are the British celebrity chef's like Jamie Oliver and Gordon 'f.....' Ramsay. The restaurant, Hix, opened about five years back to critical acclaim, and we went there for lunch. The Sunday market menu was great, combining traditional English fare like Yorkshire pudding with more modern influences.
In the next blog, we are jetting off to the warm Mediterranean climate of Barcelona, Spain. I hope you enjoyed an alternate look at London in three days. I recommend if you have been to London a few times then do something different, take a chance, and visit another area of the great city of London.
Further Information:
Columbia Road Flower Market - http://www.columbiaroad.info/
Camden Market - the mother of all markets - http://www.camdenlock.net/
Canal boat trips - London Waterbus Company
Regents Canal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent's_Canal
London Zoo - http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/
Little Venice - http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/401228-little-venice
Hix restaurant - http://www.hixsoho.co.uk/
