Speaking of canals, we took the kids on a canal ride to the London Zoo. I think the ride was about 45 minutes long. We picked up the boat by Paddington. If you go to Google Earth and look just north of the Paddington Fire Station, you see a sort of triangular water body with a small island in the middle. We boarded at the western end of that triangle. Zoom in close and you'll see canal boats lining the canal most of the way to the Zoo. It was definitely a side of London you won't see from a bus or the Tube. Very pretty and interesting. ^