The town of Epping, Essex,Greater London

It is one thing to see London, it is another thing entirely to have to sleep in London. There is a constant cloud of cinders falling from above, the stench alone is enough to stop your breath and Jack the Ripper has claimed another vi...oh wait, I'm sorry wrong century. Let me start over; I was having a Charles Dickens moment there.

Modern London may not be the London of Dickens, but it certainly was nice to escape the busy city and head to a quiet town nearby. Epping is the last stop on the Central line, northeast of London.

The town was clean and the main street was full of healthy, up-to-date shops from chocolatiers to home interiors. The people were cheery and life in Epping appeared much like Canon City, Colorado. We were far enough away from London to warrant a curious eye and a surprised smirk at being in the town.

Bell Hotel was adequate and quaint with white sheets and a white, somewhat skimpy duvet. I've found that I like hotels without the scratchy bedspread covers on them. Keep it plain and simple so that anyone can appreciate it. The hotel staffers were not too jaded and still smiled.



Breakfast was served by young Indian ladies who refused to let us get our own water and the bacon looked like something a cave man might gnaw on. It was absolutely Bohemian! An English breakfast consists of eggs (your way), roasted potato, roasted tomato, bacon, and smoky baked beans, washed down with black cream tea. I had it all except I couldn't bring myself to eat beans that early in the morning. With no BBQ brisket or potato salad in sight, this Texan just couldn't eat the baked beans.



The grocery store was wonderful to visit. Vegetables are so fresh and flowers are presented right at the door in large bunches. It was fun to go down the aisles and see what passed for catsup or mustard. Many of our meals came from this store and we were able to save money while catching a wonderful town experience. I found the most delicious tiramisu dish made from real marscapone and liquour for 1 pound! At the end of the trip I went back one last time and took the treat on the trek home with me.



The walk to the tube was brisk and took us through lovely English neighborhoods. We would never have had that in London.





Lovely town. Lovely people. Thanks Epping!