Little Venice

3 April, 2017

Hidden in plain view just to the northeast of Paddington Station is a part of London that contrasts sharply with the image of a bustling international megapolis. "Little Venice" is the focal point of a series of canals and basins that loop through northern London, connecting to the Thames from around Kew Gardens to the west and near Canary Wharf to the east. For a nice stroll take the Bakerloo line to the Warwick Ave stop and walk a couple of blocks south on Warwick to the canal. You'll find steps down to the footpath just a few yards NE of the intersection of Warwick Ave and Bloomfield Rd. (If you cross the bridge you've just passed Bloomfield Rd.)

The canals are lined with narrowboats of various description, from weekend cruisers to water buses and party boats to full-time residences. As you stroll along the pathway of Little Venice you'll almost certainly encounter a boat owner undertaking some sort of routine maintenance.

Along the way from Warwick Ave to Paddington there are several opportunities to stop for refreshment, but public toilets are limited to land-based cafes and restaurants, so plan accordingly. The meandering stroll is about a mile in length and (assuming it's not the dead of winter) the greenery and flowers offer a stunning backdrop. If you're inclined you can catch a water bus to Camden (or, if you like, stop off at Regent's Park, home of the London Zoo.) Likewise, if you're visiting the Zoo you can exit to the canal and catch a ride on the water bus to either Little Venice or Camden.

A trip to London is incomplete without a trip to Hatchards, as those who have read this blog are well aware. In addition to picking up a few surprises for friends and family we managed to find a book or two for ourselves. Fortunately books are tax free, so they don't impact the duty-free allowance and there's no hassle involved with reclaiming VAT upon departure.

A quick nip next door to Fortnum & Mason for a couple of small items we overlooked on our previous visit put a lid on the shopping for the day and we hopped a cab back to the hotel to drop off our loot and prepare to meet our son for dinner.

 Everyone in our group loves Burger & Lobster, so that was a simple choice. Leicester Square is a central location between our hotel and our son's university, so we chose that location this trip. While the food menus are identical, each Burger & Lobster location has a different atmosphere and drinks menu. The food offerings have expanded a bit from the original choices of burger, lobster, and lobster roll. You now have a choice of burgers and a Singapore lobster roll (it includes shrimp and is a bit spicy.) The fries (they're shoestrings, so I don't consider them chips) and salad remain in their original, scrumptious incarnations. We were fortunate as far as seating goes and enjoyed a relaxing and delicious dinner with designs to grab dessert at BubbleWrap Waffle just around the corner. (For the record, I had the Singapore Lobster Roll, and it was delicious. I'm still partial to the original Lobster Roll, but have no complaints.)

After dinner we discovered a queue of approximately two hours at BubbleWrap, and even though I'm no slouch when it comes to ice cream, this exceeded my tolerance for wait-times so we took a pass.

Perhaps we'll luck out in the future.