March of the Cybermen

Above the bow of the boat is an aluminium bridge connecting the railway station to the office blocks - it is dead quiet at night but at about 7 am the bridge starts to get used.  By 8.59 am it builds up to a crescendo of noise that sounds like the marching Cybermen on Dr Who!  That's our current alarm clock, I know it's early but so be it.

We have been rationing the water since we have been here as we don't want to move to the water point and lose our berth.  So, for the first time since we have been on the boat, we decided to use the launderette this morning, rather than use the onboard (full size) washing machine and drier.

Just as were were about to take off we had a visitor ... it was Lesley from NB Yarwood, who was the previous owner of Caxton.  Lesley was in transit from her mum's back to Joe, who was moored up on the South Oxford.  I have met Lesley before, but it was a first for Elaine so we dumped the laundry bag and had a quick cuppa and a chat!

Good to see you Lesley.


We went to the launderette and left a bag load, we also did a quick top up shop at Tesco.

We decided to catch the tube to Camden today.  We left the dogs on the boat because we knew there would be a lot of people there, plus it was a hot day!

I think we found Camden ...

I have been to Camden before but it was in the winter.  Today was just fantastic, what a brilliant eclectic mix of people.

Some very different shops ...

Great looking pubs ...

Had to get a pic of the lock, we will be going through here next week ...

I never realised there were so many markets at Camden ...

 

Here Elaine was being groped fitted with a dress ...

I got myself a new t-shirt and the dogs got some new collars, so a successful trip!

Scooter seats in the food market ...

 

Absolutely loved the crowds, and the superb weather.  

Into the pub for a cooling ale while we waited for the rush hour to die off a bit ...

There were massive queues for the tube so we got a big red bus back to Paddo.

There was a boat moored close to us that looked like a floating junkyard ... during the day it had been converted to a floating cocktail bar, bookshop, and had a rooftop stage for a band to play on!

Steptoe and Son's Cocktail bar - run by a French chap with a very noisy outboard engine (he was buzzing around the basin this morning at 7 am ... doing, I don't know what !!!)

We took the dogs for a good walk around the basin before dinner - there are a few quirky statues about ...

We then went to Platform 9 to have a listen to 'The Great western Railway Band', very good it was too ...

We then took the dogs back to the boat; here is Elaine modelling her new dress - she is still smiling from the groping. 

Guessing this is/was a hotel?

Off to dinner we went, but first into a really good pub, The Victoria.  There was a little 'roving' band playing outside - it was such a great ambience!

Playing with the panorama setting on the new camera inside the pub ...

We went to an Indian restaurant called Noorjahan opposite the pub.  It was absolutely fantastic, we reckon it was the second best Indian we had ever been to, and we have been to a few!

Walking back to the boat through Paddington station, the 'Cornish Riviera' sleeper was getting ready to depart; it leaves at 23.45 and arrives in Penzance at 8.00 am.  We would love to do that one day!

So what do we think of London?  Well, it is absolutely fantastic!  I thought it would be good but I am just blown away ... it has changed so much since I used to come up here as a young lad.  The sights are obviously amazing to see and the gardens are stunning.  We love the atmosphere in the pubs plus there is so much outdoor dining it has a very European feel to it.  Elaine was saying tonight that she kept forgetting which country she was in!

If you have a boat and are considering coming to London, I cannot recommend it enough.  It is such a great privilege, as a boater, to be able to stay in the centre of the best capital city in the world ... and it costs us nothing!  Blessed are the boaters !