Day 2 - Camden Market

Written by Chris

Wonderful, wonderful day  as we journeyed to Camden Market via the Regent Canal.  The temperature was about 20 degrees - not too hot, with a lovely breeze.  We took the tube to Little Venice, aptly named as most of the people there live on boats year round.  After a short walk we found our way to Jason's Canal Trip on the Regent Canal.  We boarded the over 100 year old "working boat" with about 30 other folks and cruised down the canal. Upon leaving the dock we passed Browning's Island. Robert Browning, husband of Elizabeth Browning, used to write on the tiny island when he lived in London. Upon his death it was turned into a bird sanctuary. The canal used to be a "liquid highway" that was originally used to transport goods all over the city of London.  

Little Venice 

The willow tree is Browning Island

The canal is fairly narrow and the boat is long and narrow as well.  They used to use horses and ropes to tow the boats along the canal and you can still see the places where the ropes cut into the stones due to the friction.  In places where there were long tunnels, the horses had to be taken over the tunnel. The boatmen would then climb on top of the boat, and laying on their backs, would use their legs to propel them forward by pushing off the ceiling.  This could take up to an hour to clear one tunnel!

Passing through one of the many tunnels

Coming up to another tunnel

We cruised by wonderful houses and gardens that backed on to Regent's Park. Our guide said that one home we passed was purchased for a staggering 35 million pounds - that`s over $48 million Canadian.  No wonder it was lovely! The trip took us 45 minutes and we passed by Regent`s Park, the Snowden Aviary, and the London Zoo.  All the way we passed boat after boat as many people live on their boats all year long much like they do in Amsterdam.  Our guide said that it cost 7,000 pounds per year for a moorage fee and 500 pounds for a British Waterways license. Not sure what it would cost to buy a boat, but given London`s high cost of living, this sounds like a bargain. Especially since you can moor up on any of the canals throughout Britain.

To the right of the railing you can see the grooves left from ropes as boats were pulled along by horses

One of the many houseboats along the canal

After disembarking we wound our way through Camden Market with its warren of stalls and vendors. Camden was similar to Portobello Market, but more permanent stalls full of merchandise, less antiques, and more food options.  I bought a brown purse and a great Phototype picture that features pictures of London or objects that resemble letters of the alphabet.  Chelsea and I thought that the word ``kitchen`` would be a great word to spell out, but it was too long.  In the end we spelled out ``Baker`` as it was a play on Baker Crescent where we live in Calgary, and our love of baking cakes.

One of the many lanes of stalls

Dock and entrance to Camden Market

Chelsea bought a great hooded coat for the fall, and a small purse for our Regency Promenade in Bath. Time flew by shopping and looking around and soon it was time to return to the boat for the ride back to Little Venice.  It was such a great day. I would recommend it to anyone. 

We were going to go the British Museum, but it was pretty late by the time we got back to the hotel and dropped off our stuff.  We decided to go to Whiteley`s Shopping Centre for supper and a show and in doing so had another great experience by accident. Chels bought tickets but they were to the `Lounge` which was a small theatre upstairs where you can order food and drink while you watch your movie.  Before the show we also had access to a private lounge where you could sit and drink. Even better than having food delivered to your seat were the seats themselves! Each seat is a large leather recliner that could fit two people each if you chose. We chose to see ``Elysium`` with Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.  The food was terrific - Chelsea had the fish and chips and I had lobster scallop pasta. Delicious!  It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.

Dark 'n Stormy (Ginger beer, lime, and rum)

Lounge Theatre

Duo of seats (very comfy)