Visiting Camden Lock, London/ Carlos Pueblo
Camden
township is on the north of London, there is a canal connected
with the
Royal Regent’s Park. We followed 100 free touring spots to have
a visit. We
walked from the Park, passing through London Zoo, entered
downtown
Camden. There is a Jewish center among a building. Camden
Looks like a
worker’s town. Later in that summer, Amy Winehouse was
overdose and
died at age 27, fans gathered at her flat at Camden Square.
She grew up
at Camden and before her death, she had a hit song called
Rehab and
she said that she was a bad girl. Camden becomes very prosperous,
There is a
Camden Lock to monitor the water level. I walked on the canal bank
Toward the
Park, found Queen Mary’s roses garden. I was three weeks early to
see the rose
bloom. Through the Park, took Tube again back to Camden Lock
for lunch.
Late afternoon, I was back to British Library to seek Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s
library
legend of 1910 without any success yet ran into a group of soccer fans
from
Birmingham, England.
People open
the canal for food transportation. Waterway like Camden Lock is very
popular even
in early American history such as northeast US . Many of these canals
become an
area view point, for instance, our San Antonio Canal in Texas. Horses were
used to pull
the boats before the combustion engines were developed. It becomes
very fancy nowadays,
the canal has water taxi, house boat, restaurant boat etc. rided
along the
canal. You can see the commercial buildings on one side of the bank and
the
residential area on the other side. I even see a beautiful Chinese restaurant,
Feng
Shang. Feng
is a combined together boat, Shang is eating, both are classical Chinese
character.
From this restaurant, the canal has two direction and I walked toward the
Park. Many
pedestrian, joggers, and bikers were on the canal walk, some stopped to
chat with me.
As a matter of fact, a small house boat for a single person would cost
600 British
Pounds annually, while bigger one for two person costs 1,000 Pounds.
The house
boat can land on a pier anywhere all over English canals; however, I did
see a sign
that not over a week on this canal, otherwise a fine of 25 pounds daily.
I was
calculating at basic cost of a house boat in compare with to put up a night
in a hostel.
There is a
bridge across the dike to the Park. It is very large park indeed, I can not
Walk through
in every detail. I did find the roses garden in honor to Queen Mary.
I was very
impressed when I first visit to this garden in early March 4 years ago.
Roses buds
just began to sprout in purple color, and in May, leaves and branches were
green yet
were still three weeks early for the full bloom. I have missed twice for its
beauty. The
garden is managed by a citizen horticultural club. It is also a very large
garden
indeed.
There is a
Regent’s lake attract many birds, large and small. I was sitting on a
chair and
watching the busy activity among birds. All was beautiful. I walked
some more in
the Park and then exit to another township. I did run into the
British
Library, yet it is not the one legend of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s refugee stay
In London
Library. The librarian told me if the legend was true that indeed
should be on
the basement of the British Museum at Russell Square.
I took the
Tube back to Camden, back to Camden Lock. The International
Market was
open for business and you could see the crowded place. I
Bought a
plate of rice and found a seat under the bridge on the bank of
the canal
with many other tourists. The pigeons were coming close for food.
There was a
fashion store facing the Lock with three story of Singer machines
Which were
all locked up safely in a huge glass window.
