My trivial thinking

Since I had been walking long distances every day and was very tired, I planned to take it easy today and avoid any strenuous walking. But I couldn’t spend the whole day doing nothing in the hotel, so I decided to walk along Regent’s Canal and visit the British Museum in the afternoon.  Earl's Court Station Paddington   I took the No. 74 bus to Earl’s Court Station and transferred to the Underground for Paddington. From there, I walked north for about ten minutes and reached Little Venice without any trouble. I assumed the Regent’s Canal walk began there and that it would take about thirty minutes to reach Regent’s Park.     Little Venice Paddington Branch  I continued walking along the water, taking many photos. I checked my location frequently on Google Maps and with GPS, and everything seemed fine. Paddington Branch Paddington Branch However, even after walking for a long time, I still hadn’t reached Regent’s Park....

It was about five years ago that I first became interested in the River Lea and hoped to walk along it someday. I learned that the River Lea is the second‑largest river around London after the Thames, and that its headwaters rise in a park in a small village. In Japan, most rivers begin in the mountains, so this felt unusual to me. At the time, I read a blog called London Geezer about the River Lea with great interest. When I decided to visit London in January, I initially imagined a long walk or a 100‑kilometre cycling trip from Leagrave to the 2012 Olympic Park. But I soon realised that such a plan was unrealistic for a short‑term visitor. In the end, I shortened the route to walk from Ware to Tottenham Hale—although in reality, I gave up at Cheshunt.   Liverpool Street Station the platform   I decided to go to the River Lea after checking the weather forecast the day before. It was already around 8:30 when I arrived at Liverpool Street Station. I bought two sweet ...