Behind the face of Croydon -- the Piccolino

We catch a Southeast Train to Croydon, site of the original London airport where in 1938 Neville Chamberlain, looking through rose-tinted glasses,  famously declared, "Peace in our time."  Today Croydon, a buzzing urban centre, is home to the offices of the United Reformed Church Southern Synod.

Wandering around Croydon in Southeast London at 7:00 am searching for an open breakfast cafe proves a depressing endeavor.  Urban grey permeates the landscape with little greenery.  We discover the Lunchbox Cafe, but the proprietor sends us away though the sign on the open door claims the opening time has arrived. We find ourselves at the back side of the mall; seems Croydon has numerous behind-the-shops streets.

We finally find an open cafe --Piccolino's Snack Bar nestled in an arcade of shops inside an entire complex of derelict highrises. Ignoring the surroundings we duck inside.

A cheerful tile interior greets us, and the All-Day-Breakfast menu scrawled across the over-size chalkboard supplies ample options.
The proprietor greets us warmly with a smile and takes our order at our table.

We hungrily turn to breakfast -- tasty eggs and toast and delicious strong hot tea. We delight in the no-wobble tables, chairs free to slide back and forth, and the absence of any music or radio chatter.  We enjoy almost two hours of peace and quiet, working crossword puzzles and reading the morning news.

When we venture out again, the Croydon blend of derelict, handsome and modern buildings fascinates us. Like the local population, the blend is rich and intriguing.  Evidence of both WWII and economic hard times remain.

Everything has a bit of glitter once the sun shines and life fills the streets.

We note for our next Croydon sojourn the numerous early-morning breakfast cafes lining the open-air market.  We'll bee-line for them!