The Enchanting Little Haven That is Little Venice / 迷人的小天堂 - 伦敦“小威尼斯”

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Not too far from where I live, there's a beautiful little area featuring a tight maze of water canals. It is better known as "Little Venice" and resemblances just what the name suggests!

Last Sunday, my husband and I drove there early morning and enjoyed a lovely stroll along it's riverside banks and soothing, calm waters. Living in West London for many years already, I cannot believe I just recently discovered this hidden gem tucked away in a snug corner of this sprawling city and only ten minutes from where I live.

Just minutes away from Paddington Station and Warwick Avenue, Little Venice is a gorgeous hot spot and forms one part of Regent's Canal which runs all the way to Docklands in East London.

We began our walk starting from Maida Avenue which sits overlooking the canal itself. We were quite fortunate with the weather too. It was not an "extraordinarily" sunny day but good enough to take some decent photos and take in the sights.

(Road to the right, canal to the left.)

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Little Venice is considered a scenic getaway mainly due to it's picturesque and intertwining canal routes. Add to that the impressively varied themed boat cruises travelling between Little Venice and Camden Lock that we saw. If you were to follow the main canal all the way to it's finish, it would eventually lead into the River Thames. You'd be amazed by how many people live in moored canal houseboats anchored along the long, stretching banks.

(A convenient little signboard revealing your location as well as an entire map of the place.)

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(Yes, that is someone's barge front door.)

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As we continued our short walk up Maida Avenue, we came across a little café called Café Laville that straddles the canal in a glass-fronted building overlooking the canal. What a great location to provide a fantastic view of Little Venice!

We noticed how many eager tourists gathered inside this cafe to capture some sneaky snaps of the many passing barges which themselves carried a bunch of enthusiastic tourists. A lot of fun for an observer like myself to see and absorb the relaxing, chilled out ambient vibes! :)

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Time was pressing on and both of us could have done with some tasty breakfast so we almost instantly decided to eat there too.

The café restaurant was very bright due to it's expansive glass roof and walls made to maximise on these view. Oversized ceiling lights hung in various shapes, along with a few nice paintings near the entrance wall. it was quite contemporary in style, yet very inviting at the same time.

The waiter was friendly and luckily seated us directly under the retractable roof! I could literally see the water right under my feet and felt like I was hovering atop the Canal itself. How cool is that, right?

Café Laville offers a good selection of Italian and Mediterranean dishes. I opted for Smoke Salmon Eggs Benedict, a good portion size by anyone's standards I'm sure. And very reasonably priced especially for London, might I add. My husband went for his favourite Red Velvet Cake. Also a personal favourite of mine too. :)

(Above in the scrumptious Salmon & Eggs Benedict and below, the dreamy Red Velvet cake.)

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It was such a pleasant experience! Gazing upon the serene waters, listening to the lapping of the subtle waves along the riverbanks and just watching the canal barges appear and disappear right from underneath the restaurant. What a peaceful and wistful way to watch the world go by.

(There was a tunnel directly under us that the barges would pass through every so often)

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After indulging those lovely refreshments, we bid goodbye to the friendly staff and proceeded with our walk exploring Little Venice. The weather has actually become much better which was a huge, unexpected bonus.

(These pretty little berries lined the gated iron sections of the road running parralell to the canal.)

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Little Venice is home to hundreds of attractive and colourful canal barges. In fact, quite a convenient base from which to explore the rest of the capital via it's aquatic avenues.

Each of these boats features it's own unique character set and provides for some stunning photography. Colourful logos, spacious customised decking area and even some gardening sections on the roof. Everything just looked the part which makes Little Venice as captivating and alluring as she is.

I wondered about the numerous residents living there and who would forego a traditional normal house for these awesome water-based houses. Of course, I realise that house prices are at ridiculous all-time highs, but they must surely also have a very strong connection with nature and freedom that drives them too. I can imagine there is something very special about returning to this peaceful and quiet abode after a hard day in the city. A surreal, but liberating feeling, I'm sure.

(Sometime you may need something a touch smaller in get around the narrow waterways of Little Venice.)

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The intricately mapped canal systems of London seem to have been constructed with a great deal of practicality in mind. Almost every boat has a metered supply of electricity which powers the internal appliances contained within the boat.

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As we passed by more pretty boathouses, ponds and crossed over a small bridge, we came across another café which was an actual restaurant barge on the canal with seating areas inside and outs. How exciting! Though since we just ate, perhaps next time around, lol. This is a place you are almost guaranteed to want to return to. I mean, I sure am! :)

(Two magnificent weeping willows on a small piece of land in the centre of an intersection)

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(A wide section of the canal where restaurants, barge excursions and more are located at.)

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To maximise on the experience, I recommend taking one of the taxi boats up to Camden Lock, which is a 50 minute passage ride passing landmarks such as Regent’s Park and London Zoo. It sounds like a fantastic idea as we all know how buzzing life in Camden Market can get. So very lively and lots of merry fun!

There are also quite a few options available via the assortment of cruise companies along a certain section of the canal , including Jason’s Trip, Jenny Wren Canal Cruises and the London Waterbus. All journey's begin under the bridge we had previously crossed. I think it is worth mentioning that they only accept credit cards (no cash). Which is the exact opposite to how many other establishments conduct their business in London, lol!

(I simply love the small, green leaves floating en mass upon the still waters. Just beautiful.)

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However, for today we chose to simply continue our stroll down the canal and keep the cruise on hold for something to look forward to at a later date.

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Little Venice is a great little day out. The ideal location for visiting in the warm spring/summer months or cool evening meanders alongside tree-lined canals ways, featuring beautiful and eccentrically painted houseboats.

Although in some ways I have to say if visitors expect to see exceptional view as the Venice in Italy, they might be disappointed. I feel the name “Little Venice” is rather a humble homage than a direct like-for-like comparison. Therefore, take this wonderful place for what is it. A stones throw to get away from the busy traffic and fast paced London to the gentle and peaceful serenity of it's waterways.

So prepare yourself with a good camera, some delicious sandwiches and you'll be in store for a delightful treat. An inexpensive explore around those parts of London that not even seasoned Londoners know too well, lol.

Enjoy! :)

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小威尼斯是隐藏在伦敦市中心的一个安静水域，离我家不远。顾名思义，它是一个美丽的水城！上周末我和先生沿着小威尼斯河边漫步，悠闲自在，十分惬意。真不敢相信， 我在伦敦生活这么多年现在才发现这个好地方，呵呵。

小威尼斯处于 摄政运河和Grand Union 运河的交汇点，一直运行到东伦敦的Docklands。它距离Paddington 火车站和Warwick Avenue也就只有几分钟的路程，很容易找。 我们从Maida Avenue出发，天公还算作美，虽然没有灿烂的阳光，但起码天晴。

小威尼斯很美，特别是沿着摄政运河到Camden 市集这一段的景色最好。沿着河边漫步，可以欣赏到河道上停泊的各具特色的窄船，享受着安静的街道和两旁茂密的树荫。

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没走多远，我们就被一座横跨在运河上的玻璃建筑物吸引住。这是一家名叫Café Laville的咖啡馆/餐馆，俯瞰运河，是一个欣赏小威尼斯景色的绝妙位置！我注意到众多游客聚集在这儿，兴致勃勃地观赏这沿河美景以及来往的游船。我可以想象，这是很有乐趣的事儿。

我们也还没有吃早餐，所以就决定在这里美美地享受一番，哈哈。

我们走进餐厅，感觉非常明亮。这是由于它的屋顶和墙壁都使用了大面积的透明玻璃，让顾客们可以全方位地观赏运河景色。天花板上吊着各种形状不一的透明吊灯，很具现代风格。

服务员很友好，我们很幸运地被安排在靠近运河一边的位置。这是餐馆延伸出来的一部分，我可以透过脚下木板的缝隙看到运河的水徘徊着，太棒了！

这家餐馆主要供应意大利和地中海菜。我点了 熏三文鱼班尼迪蛋 （Smoke Salmon Eggs Benedict），分量挺足的，而且在伦敦来说，价格也不算贵。先生选了他最喜欢的红丝绒蛋糕 （Red Velvet Cake），也是我最爱，呵呵。

坐在运河上，注视着宁静的海水，聆听岸边的微妙波浪声，俯视过往船只从脚底出现，渐渐消失远处，感觉世界从未如此安静过！

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用过茶点后，我们继续探索小威尼斯的旅程。这时候，我惊喜地发现有几缕阳光洒落身上。感觉很幸运， 我赶紧拍了几张照片，呵呵。

小威尼斯停泊着数以百计的窄船，起初摄政运河用于运输货物，现在运河已变成水上人家和休憩的水道。每个窄船都有自己独特的标志，富有魅力的船体色彩和船顶的园艺部分，甚是迷人。这构成了小威尼斯一道最绚丽的风景，也是众多摄影爱好者的聚集点。

这也让我陷入了沉思，为什么这里众多的居民宁愿放弃传统的楼房而选择这种水上别墅呢？虽说现在伦敦房价是可算是历史最高点（甚至有点儿可笑的地步），但这也一定和居民们向往自由和自然有着密切的关系吧！我可以想象，在城市辛苦工作一天以后，回到这个平和安静的住所，该会是很自由很特别的感觉！

英国错综复杂的运河系统似乎相当实用。几乎每艘窄船都有电力供应，为船内的家用电器供电 （看下图）。

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沿着运河溜达，欣赏着各样漂亮的船屋，穿过小桥，我们不知不觉来到了另一家船屋咖啡馆。整个咖啡馆是一艘窄船，船内船外都设有座位，很具特色。不过我们刚吃完，那就留待下一次吧，哈哈。

除了沿河漫步，大家也可以选择坐游船游览摄政运河，往返于小威尼斯和Camden市集，途中会经过摄政公园和伦敦动物园，全程50分钟时间。Camden市集是伦敦有名的市集之一，很值得一看，我最喜欢周末去那儿，开启逛吃逛吃模式，呵呵。

几家比较受欢迎的游轮公司包括Jason's Trip，Jenny Wren Canal Cruises和伦敦水上巴士。所有旅程的起点就在我们刚刚穿过的桥下。我认为值得一提的是，他们只接受信用卡（无现金），与伦敦其他旅游业刚好相反。

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在温暖的春夏季特别是傍晚时分，小威尼斯是休闲的好去处。漫步于绿树成荫蜿蜒曲折的摄政运河，以及两旁有特色的油漆船屋，是很赏心悦目的事情。

有点不得不说的是，如果游客把伦敦的小威尼斯与意大利的威尼斯相比较，他们也许会失望。我觉得“小威尼斯”这个名字是一个比较浪漫的比喻，并非直接比较。处于热闹繁华的伦敦城里，小威尼斯能独守一方净土，远离城市喧嚣，的确难得！

我建议大家周末准备好相机和美味的三明治来小威尼斯看看吧，无论是散步或游船，你和家人都可以在这里度过轻松惬意的一天！