Deborah Leipziger
A full English breakfast is one of life’s great pleasure – especially for someone like me who loves tea, jams, and grilled mushrooms. It is not for the faint of heart, however, and it has taken quite a journey to get here.
What a joy to be able to return to London for a family wedding. After almost three years unable to travel to the UK. London is one of my second homes and bringing Andy here is a homecoming, especially after so many years without travel. I lived in the UK for three years and my eldest daughter was born here. My work would also bring me here, but I have not been back for almost three years due to the pandemic.
Like other pandemic trips, I have little faith that we will ever leave the ground. We arrive at Longan with plenty of time to spare – find ourselves a little corner and drink tea, prop open our books and read with masks.
“Have you heard the bad news?” Andy asks me when I return from my walk to buy lipstick for the wedding.
“No,” I confess.
“Our flight is going to be three hours late.”
In an amazing shift, I don’t mind. I have books to read.
We finally depart and all goes well with our flight.
One of my dearest friends in the world, also named Deb, has arranged for us to stay in her father’s flat outside of London for the first few days and we are excited for her to meet Andy. She has seen him on Facetime; and has been rooting for us. In fact, she confesses that she has already found and bought our wedding present.
We take the London Underground to Russel Square – famous for its connection to many writers and artists known as the Bloomsbury Group. This will be my first time staying in Bloomsbury and we have booked a room at the Bloomsbury Hotel, sight unseen but based on wonderful reviews on-line. I fall in love with the room when I saw the words “garden view”. Of course, this means that we are up on the 6th floor and it is sweltering. This is a rare afternoon indeed.
We are thrilled to take a shower after being in flat with just a bathtub. Andy puts on his tux and I dress in my Northern Lights dress. We are melting as we get into a black cab to take us the few blocks to Grosvenor Square where the wedding will be held. I feel like we are in a James Bond movie as we see so many famous London landmarks and people stare into the taxi to get a look at the couple who are all dressed up.
The wedding is gorgeous! I had assumed a small party due to COVID restriction but there must be some 200 people here. We dance and enjoy being with my wonderful cousins and their kids, but leave a bit early as we are very jet lagged.
The next morning we are indeed ready for our first English breakfast.
The hotel is charming and has a lovely garden. Andy is desperate for coffee and I am overjoyed to have Earl Gray.
At the next table, I hear the waiter ask the couple if they want an English Breakfast and they say no, Earl Gray.
There are tiny pots of jam and honey for tea. I always laugh when I see bagels as part of an English breakfast and go out of way to avoid them when I am in Europe and there are so many lovely breads to choose from.
As always, the grilled mushrooms are a delicious treat. There are scrambled eggs and all sorts of potatoes and tomatoes.
We are ready for our day in London.