London: New Activities

[smallhobbit]

Apart from going to plays and musical events I continued my pursuit of doing new things.

First up, I took a canal boat trip along the Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden Lock.  I'd known about the canal but never gone along it before.  It's a very peaceful trip through parts of London:

   

 

At Camden Lock I went to find someone for lunch and ended up in a little café serving Italian food with a group of English language students.  After I'd eaten I went over to talk to them - their tutor encouraged me to join them - which was lovely.

A lot of the time in London I get around by tube or bus, but on Friday morning I was going to an exhibition at the Tate Modern and the quickest way from where I was staying was to walk.  The exhibition was a restrospective on the Russian artist Natalia Goncharova.  I'd received an email with the details a couple of months ago, and in the spirit of trying something new I had decided to book.  I really enjoyed the exhibition.  She was a multi-talented artist and everything was really vibrant.  The following are just a small example of the exhibits, you can read more here

  

 



From there I took the river bus (slightly expensive, but as a one-off going from one bank of the river to the other without having to walk far, it was worth it) to Tower Bridge.  I'd been wanting to see inside the machine room, for some time, and walk across the upper walkway.  They've installed some glass panels so you can look down - the picture of my feet is proof I walked along them!

   

 

 

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

You were very busy! I love the water photos and bridge photos and your feet. That's splendid that you could cross by boat.

[smallhobbit]

Yep - came home rather tired! I took the picture of my feet to prove I stood on the glass. There are a number of boats which run a regular service on the Thames. They're mostly used by tourists (see my comment on costs) but they are good for getting to bankside places,

[angelofthenorth]

I used to love walking along the canal home in London

[smallhobbit]

I can believe that - it's so peaceful.

[corvidology]

You really did take advantage of your time in London.

I'm going to put Tower Bridge on my list for the next time I'm home.

[smallhobbit]

Why waste any time!

You can book for Tower Bridge online, which is cheaper. The ticket isn't dated, and is valid for a whole year from time of purchase, so you just turn up when it suits you.

[mafief]

No. Nope. The glass bridge is a big nope and makes me tense just looking at the pics. The outside of Tower Bridge is pretty.

[smallhobbit]

It's only the size of one large panel - the rest of the floor is standard. There were a good number of people who walked either side of the panel.

[aome]

That canal trip looks lovely!

[smallhobbit]

It was - incredibly peaceful despite being in the heart of London.

[shallowness]

'Peaceful' isn't a word I associate much with London, so that's something I'll look into.

Thanks for sharing your activites, theatrical and otherwise, on your trip. Your views on them have been really intereting.

[smallhobbit]

The canal boat trip was lovely, and it's easy enough to walk along the towpath and enjoy the peace - a good way to escape.

I'm glad you enjoyed the activities - the views, of course, are entirely my own ;)

[adafrog]

Great pics.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you.

[margaret_r]

The last time we were in London we took the canal boat from the zoo to Little Venice, not something I'd have thought of before. It was lovely and a surprise. We also did the Tower Bridge visit. It was so very interesting to see all the machinery and the walk across the top something I will never forget. I managed to walk on the glass panels ... just!

This was a wonderful visit to London for you, you did and saw so much!

[smallhobbit]

I'd not thought of taking the canal boat - I think it's a lovely idea. Congratulations on walking on the glass panels - I found the first step hard, but after that it was no problem.

[katyastarling]

You're braver than us walking on that bridge! But thank you for reminding me of something I always used to love about LJ! Maybe it is time I got back here . . .

[smallhobbit]

The first step was hard, but after that it was okay.

Yes, join the fun on DW!