Winter has arrived – at least after dark. Night time temperatures in London have fallen below 5°C this week. The portable air-conditioning unit Garry bought last Summer clearly won't see active service in 2007. News reports claim Scotland’s experiencing its coolest Autumn nights for more than a decade. The dramatic drop in London temperatures has prompted us to swap our summer duvet for a much cosier winter edition and turn on the heating in the evening. I can endure cold weather while we’re still greeted by bright, sunny, blue skies every morning. The last three days have been wonderful.
Today we decided to make the most of the good weather by taking a walk along the eastern stretch of the Regents Canal beyond Camden. We’ve previously walked the canal from Camden to Little Venice. We started our trek by passing through Primrose Hill then venturing down to the canal along side London Zoo. The peacocks were on full display in the Snowdon Aviary, and the African Hunting Dogs were on the prowl on the opposite canal bank.
We stopped at Camden Markets for lunch. Every weekend several rows of temporary stalls appear, selling the most amazing, mouth-watering street food from all corners of the globe. Today’s highlights include Venezuelan Arepas (thick corn pancakes that you split and stuff with meat and vegetables), Japanese Takoyaki (vegetable dumpling balls with a tender piece of Octopus in the centre) and spicy West African stews. After a brief debate Garry and I settled on the Ghanaian stews. They looked delicious and proved to be so in the eating.
From here it was off past the Camden Locks, three twin locks that straddle a sweeping bend in the Regents Canal. The grassy bank proved to be a popular spot for other punters eating food from the market stalls. We also witnessed a barge passing through one of the hand-operated locks. Sadly, these were to be the only real highlights for the remainder of our walk along the towpath.
A scenic moment near Regent Park
Unlike the Camden to Paddington section, this stretch of the Canal passes largely through drab industrial estates, or is lined by dull buildings of little architectural merit. One question did arise during our walk. How deep is the Regents Canal? I later found out that its 4.27 metres deep, far deeper than either of us expected. As we neared Kings Cross we left the canal behind and made our way home via the Tube.
The evening was spent enjoying a Japanese fusion meal and drinks in Soho with friends. Our tube ride home was crowded with England Rugby supporters mourning their nation’s defeat against South Africa in the World Cup Final. I knew South Africa had won within seconds of the final whistle thanks to a text message from an African colleague in Hong Kong. It’s moments like this that remind me how global our lives have become. We dine at a Japanese restaurant in London, while English and South African teams play rugby in Paris on television, in the company of friends from America and Asia.
The evening was spent enjoying a Japanese fusion meal and drinks in Soho with friends. Our tube ride home was crowded with England Rugby supporters mourning their nation’s defeat against South Africa in the World Cup Final. I knew South Africa had won within seconds of the final whistle thanks to a text message from an African colleague in Hong Kong. It’s moments like this that remind me how global our lives have become. We dine at a Japanese restaurant in London, while English and South African teams play rugby in Paris on television, in the company of friends from America and Asia.
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