London Saturday

Last time we were in London, we went on a short narrowboat cruise along the Regent Canal, it was very relaxing and we decided to do it again this morning. Last time, the commentator was a rather strange lady, we think an ex school teacher because she insisted thet we lone up in pairs to board the boat, and made it obvious that she didn’t like anyone talking while she was, and actually stopped until everyone was silent. We had a laugh over that. This time we had a guy with personality and very good knowledge and he made the commentary interesting. The boat trip went from Little Venice to Camden Lock.

We found a pub with tables beside the canal and had a good coffee. We walked to the nearest tube station and were surprised at how touristy and kitschy the main street, away from the canal, was. Good deed for the day, we helped a couple with their suitcase down 80 or so spiral steps to the platform, saving them walking a fair way to a station that had a lift. The man used a crutch so wasn’t able to help with the case.

Took the train to Kings Cross and then walked to the London Canal Museum. This time we checked on opening times. Last time we went to the museum on the day it was closed. The museum was reasonably interesting, but, from our point of view, not worth visiting again.

We then caught a bus to Aldwych to visit the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden. We decided to have coffee first and found a café with outdoor seating. It was about 4 ish and we looked at the menu for a light nibble. Baked camembert with rosemary, figs, whole garlic, nuts, dips and toasted bread sticks was not a light nibble, but it tasted great. (We’ve bought a light salad to eat in our room tonight, along with a bottle of French Sav Blanc).

The museum was quite informative, but we (read Rick) were expecting to see more vehicles. There were some very well restored buses and interesting history of transport development. We walked around Covent Garden, which, not unsurprisingly, has changed in 30 years, then found a bus back to Euston, where we’re staying. Traffic today, Saturday, was comparatively light, and it was more efficient to use the bus rather than the tube with a change part way.

Sad to think that tomorrow morning we check out and have our last day in London. Our flight tomorrow is around 8pm, so we need to be at Heathrow around 5pm and pick up our luggage and leave Euston around 4pm.