Andrea is a great host. She was very friendly and thoughtful.

Of the apartment, strictly speaking it could be said that one rather has a view to (and across) the canal than of the canal, as the apartment is on the ground floor and the canal is below the level of the walkway beside it, which you can see.

The canal is quite pleasant to walk along. We liked the "princess of wales" pub -- family friendly and with a tasty and rather more contemporary cooking (eg very good salads) than we would normally expect in a pub.

Clapton station (zone 2) is a leisurely 10 min walk -- a brisk walk will get you there a bit more quickly. From there you are a short ride away from Liverpool station and central London. There are several good places to get groceries in the neighborhood.

We found the flat to be quite convenient as a base for exploring London. One caveat -- the ceiling seems to be a bit thin. This didn't bother us (the neighbors were quite quiet after early evening) but if you are set on relaxing to loud music after your night on the town, you might want to consider another haunt.