A Very English Layover

As we crossed the Atlantic in the early morning to start our three months of backpacking through Europe, we found ourselves with a long layover in London before we would continue on to Athens. With eleven hours between flights, we took it upon ourselves to have a quintessential English day—for a tourist at least.

From there our next stop was the Tower of London where we took a Beefeater tour. These guides are some of the best— from their British humor to their authentic costumes, it was at tour that was both funny and informative and is a must when you experience the Tower of London. And yes, we got to see the soldiers with the furry hats and a changing of the guard which was super cool.

After the tour, we crossed the Tower Bridge and continued our walk around the city. With no particular destination in mind, we went for an “urban” hike. We wandered around taking in some of the architecture that made us feel like we were in a different place. From the classical to the more modern, all the scenery gave us a sense of excitement to be across the Atlantic.

As we grabbed a last coffee and took the train back to the airport, we were thrilled with our first day. Sometimes a layover can be seen as undesirable or a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We purposefully booked this flight with a day like this in mind— a day where our explorer’s mindset could take over the sometimes “lazy” vacationer. It was a small taste of what would later be a whole week in London months later.

Coming from the US and Mexico, there are a few of the things that come to mind when we think of England: tea, double decker busses, and the statuesque British soldiers with the big hats! Obviously there's much more to England, but on this short layover that just happened to fall on the Fourth of July, we had to play the part of American tourists and do some stereotypical English things— and it started with breakfast.

As soon as we landed and waited in the long line at immigration, wishing we had a British passport to just breeze through with, our excitement could not be contained. Even with the overnight flight, and without a cup of coffee, we were overcome with excitement. After clearing customs, we quickly found some lockers to leave our backpacks and bought two train tickets towards the city. With the tickets in our right hand and the promise of a great time on our left, we were on our way to the first of our many adventures this summer.

We ordered two “classics” and of course some English tea. As we waited for our food, we giggled as we drank our tea with milk— a first for the both of us. Our food arrived and we thoroughly enjoyed the sausage, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans, and tomato that was accompanied by a first for us: fried toast.

It was a delicious and filling start to the day that definitely provided us with the fuel for the day. As we left, we got to have a quick chat with the owner who was the absolute cherry on top of our visit. We had seen him in YouTube videos during our brief research on English breakfasts in London and he was just as we hoped—a lively, genuine and friendly Englishmen.

After doing a bit of research on the best English Breakfast in London, we knew we had to go to E.Pellici. While it's not the name you would imagine for a restaurant serving one of the best English breakfasts around, it was the perfect start to our trip. As we stepped inside, we were enamored by the classic-feeling interior of this place that took us back in time. The windows, the pictures, and cozy seating— it all gave you a sense of comfort. This place gets tourists nonstop, but as cliche as it sounds, we were made to feel like locals.

As we got off the train and walked outside, the weather proved to be typically English, cloudy and chilly with a promise of rain; we absolutely loved it! We hopped on a red double-decker bus and sat in the front seat on top. It felt like an amusement park ride more than public transportation, as we had a front-row view to the bustling streets of a London morning.