In anticipation of a train trip to Oxford on Monday, we began the day by riding to Paddington Station to pick up our train tickets. The Great Western Railway site was not super easy to work with, but I managed to buy two open return off-peak tickets for about £52 each, or about $92.00 Canadian. We thought that was pretty reasonable.
Anyway, so we set out on our trusty little bikes through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The hotel we stayed in, the Best Western Burns Hotel, is just a bit south of Kensington Gardens and literally steps away from the Earl's Court underground station, so for our purposes, the location couldn't be better.
While enjoying the dark roast, I was attacked by a bird. A titmouse, to be precise.
Yes, you read that correctly. A smaller-than-robin-sized bird flew directly at me and into my hair. Of course I screamed, and onlookers regarded me with expressions of either sympathy or annoyance.
In my defense, the attack was completely unexpected and rather terrifying, so I don't apologize for my reaction. In the bird's defense, it seemed to be injured or mentally challenged, perhaps both. Whatever the case, it didn't seem to be all there. I wish it well, but I suspect it was not long for this world.
Coffee was followed by a ride/walk along the canal to Little Venice. The houseboats here are very picturesque, with rooftop gardens, bags of coal, bicycles, solar panels etc. -- all the necessities of life -- neatly arranged. And the overhanging trees give such a peaceful feel, letting you forget that you are in the middle of one of the world's largest cities.
Not forgetting our purpose in coming to Paddington, we next went into the station where I collected our tickets from a machine. That was easy!
Of course, a visit to Paddington Station would not be complete without a nod to the bear himself. Right now there are two different places to have one's photo taken with the bear from darkest Peru: this new display, next to the Paddington bookshop (right) --
and the original Paddington statue, under the clock.
and Constitution Arch...
There was a cadet parade in progress, which necessitated closure of the bike lanes, so we had to walk our bikes for the last bit.
From the palace area, it's a quick ride to Trafalgar Square, where we decided to have lunch, or rather afternoon tea, in the Crypt Cafe at St. Martins-of-the-Fields. I neglected to photograph the tea stand. Next time...
Adequately replenished, we continued on our way, winding through the Temple Courts area, and finally on to St. Paul's. It turned out we were exactly on time for a church service, so we thought maybe that would be interesting. It wasn't. We were so far back that we couldn't see anything and sitting on chairs, surrounded by hundreds of other tourists, listening to a disembodied voice was not entirely satisfactory, so we decided to leave and return on Tuesday for the full tourist experience.
Since The Monument is close by, we thought we'd ascend, but alas -- as was the case when I came on my own, cash only is the form of tender here. We didn't have cash, and although there are several cash machines in the vicinity, none of them were open. 'Tis true. Don't try to find cash on a Sunday in this part of London!
Oh well, as we started riding again, we found ourselves on the Cycle Superhighway, where a sign informed us that it was a 30-minute ride to Canary Wharf. Why not?
This is a fun ride, passing dockside residences, quaint neighbourhoods and a variety of businesses, old and new.
The term "superhighway" seems an overstatement. There are places where the blue pavement is completely separated from vehicle traffic, which is pretty super. But there are also plenty of spots where cyclists share the road with motor vehicles. And the path switches sides of the road a few times, changing from shared-use to cycles only, and it is sometimes hard to tell where it continues.
As adults who are experienced in urban cycling, we were quite comfortable riding there, but it's not the Netherlands -- I don't think it's really suitable for young schoolchildren.
I didn't take any photos, as we were riding along at a pretty steady clip.
Once we reached the Canary Wharf area -- actually we inadvertently rode right past it -- it was getting dark, so we turned around and rode back the way we'd come. After Tower Bridge we headed down to the Thames and continued riverside until we were back at Buckingham Palace, just in time for some evening photos.
This is the Canada Gate, dating back to 1911 and currently under refurbishment.
The sky was rather spectacular as we rode through this area.
And finally, out of the park and along this street, back to the hotel...
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