Saturday, June 8, 2013

Let's Take a Walk


 
On a sunny London Saturday, the dogs were out in full force.

My mom and I decided to take a walk along Regent's Canal.

As we were along the water, we saw lots of birds.  We were taunted by the call of a Green Woodpecker, but could never locate the bird.

The walk began in an area know as Little Venice and ended at Camden Locks. 
Many of the houseboats had a few pots of flowers.

I thought that this  gardener stood out from the rest.  She used the heat-retaining brick wall to place several tender succulents.

This site appropriate motif is her creation as well.  We got to visit a bit with her - it is always pleasant to talk to fellow gardeners.

While most of the houseboats stay in place, there was some traffic up and down the canal. 

As we walked, we ended up seeing several lovely florist displays and nice window baskets.


We passed along the edge of Regent's Park and strolled up to the top of Primrose Hill.  It is only 219 feet in elevation, but that is all it takes to have a wonderful vista of the London skyline. On the left - the Shard.  On the right - the BT Tower.  

I have a soft spot for St Paul's and am always pleased to see its dome.

We passed several bustling neighborhood pubs...

and a couple of interesting houses including the pale green one with all the scaffolding on the right.  The poet W.B. Yeats was once a resident.

This is a former Victorian boarding school.  It is still imposing I think.

We ended up at Camden Locks and the Camden Market.
It was a bit of a zoo - crawling with all sorts of people.

There was an amazing array of food for sale, and some of the funkiest shop fronts I've ever seen.

We went out on a limb and ate at stand called "Octopus".  We shared a plate of rice, potatoes, Galician octopus, pepper stuffed squid, and fried squid rings.  I must confess when the owner lifted an entire squid out of the pot to begin to cut it up, that I felt a bit "too close" to my meal!  She finished everything off with rock salt, olive oil, and spices of some sort - paprika maybe.  I was so proud of my mom for trying all the food, and as it turned out I think she enjoyed the meal.
A very nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

11 comments:

Ann at Beadlework. said...

Oh what a brave pair eating such a mix - I'm not adventurous with food at all. What a lot you fitted into your day. The weather was just lovely here today with us, I hope it was the same in London.

Jeanne said...

I've enjoyed following along with all the posts from your trip and reminiscing about Paris. I've never been to London but someday! It looks like you and your mom have had the trip of a lifetime - so happy for both of you.

Margaret said...

So wonderful! So fun to see the houseboats and everything. I'm loving seeing so much of London!

Giovanna said...

So glad that the weather's been nice for you - lovely pictures!

Jodi S said...

You are brave eating that meal. I don't know if I could - especially while in close quarters with the 'prey'. Very beautiful pics. Looks like you had a lovely day!

Barb said...

What a delightful Sat. I loved all the flowers and found the houseboats very interesting.Reminds me of the floating homes on Lake Union in Seattle.

Chris said...

Another wonderful day. So cool that you tried something so different for your meal. I have had octopus and squid when I lived in Japan. Rich would never consider trying something like that!
I love the collages that you have been doing :)

Vickie said...

o_O Squid!! No way!!
I do believe you found a poodle! The white dog sure looks like one without the tail docked. And the black one may be one too. ♥

Cathy said...

You take the best photos. And what great sights you've seen! Thank you for taking us along on your trip through pictures!
Cathy
CraftyCat

Melanie said...

Ok, no squid for me but everything else sounds great. :)
I follow a crocheting blogger who lives right near a canal with a lot of these houseboats and they are the greatest thing ever. I just love how brightly decorated/painted some of them are. Seems like the best of both worlds - you get to live on the water, but just a few steps from land so you don't have to deal with all that pesky bad weather you can get on the open sea. :)

Athena at Minervas Garden said...

I love all the different dogs, and the houseboats. Neat idea for the succulents on the brick wall, and that dark Queen's Pub building with all the gorgeous light lavender baskets--so striking! I've had octopus and squid, and I like them battered and deep fried, or I like them Greek-style the way my cousin makes them :) It does sound like a lovely Saturday to me, too!