Shades of Autumn
‘Autumn killed the Summer with the softest kiss’ ~ D.J
Travel Diary
Where: Regent’s Canal, London, U.K.We are not taught how to make the most of every moment in life, there is no care & use handed over to you when you are born. But there are these moments in life when everything seems to fall into place, when simple rituals with your loved ones become your daily smile. This walk along the towpath of Regent’s Canal is one of mines and I have captured a few magical spots here and there last weekend for you to enjoy.
It is usually seven thirty in the morning when Max, our family golden retriever, jumps onto our bed for some cuddling. The sweetness of animals is one that makes my heart melts completely and I wouldn’t swap it for anything else in the world. We usually lay down in bed for half an hour more and then get up, dress up and we hit the pavement with my boys for a breakfast on the go; direction: the banks of Regent’s Canal.
Stepping into this peaceful stretch of water, away from the busy city streets, is like being transported to a magical world. The Narnia of London. The atmospheric waterway completed in 1820 is now almost two hundred years old and feels like a timeless oasis indeed.
Loyal to its original idea of ‘barges moving through an urban landscape’, it is home to an ever-changing peculiar collection of narrowboats. The architectural diversity and beautiful natural scenery along the towpath give the canal-scape a unique patina, testimony to the development of both human and plant life. The cool vibe of the place is reinforced by the graffiti artists adorning the walls and trendy cafés where you can cultivate an air of nonchalance while watching life goes by.
I love this place for its undeniable poetry and quirkiness. Go there in Autumn, and this is the best time of the year to enjoy the trembling of the leaves as the summer mood passes. The water looks heavy and mysterious, reflecting the shapes of whatever bends into it. It has this tranquil, gentle stillness that only flows with our mood and is only disturbed by the ripples of the wildfowl and the free fall of the leaves.
The season brings a brilliant change of colour palette as the flora dresses up in new fall shades. Greens fade into a whole spectrum of browns that are everything but boring. Chestnut, amber and honeyed golds play alongside soft burgundy and deep plums echoing the reddish-brown tones of the brick walls and accenting the urban shades of the grey pavement and the black depths of the waterway.
Water in autumn calls for serenity. This type of place is like a secret haven, a sanctuary in the city that cleanses and soothes especially for those of us who live crazy, busy lives. Its connectedness to nature and slower pace of life have the ability to seep through the cracks of our daily armour. It can hear the secret murmur of our heart, it quenches our need to live and love.