One of the great things about Newcastle is that it has a Metro system. Apparently, not many British cities can claim that...so I've been told. I hopped on the Metro and headed for Gateshead. Gateshead is on the southern side of the River Tyne (Newcastle being on the north). I wandered around the shopping area and,
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| http://www.world-guides.com/europe/england/tyne-and-wear/newcastle/newcastle_maps.html |
After window shopping, I headed over to the bus terminal and decided to go see the Angel of the North. The Angel of the North is a massive piece of art that looks out over the landscape south of Gateshead. The hilltop where the Angel sits, as well as the surrounding area, were part of the vast mining network in the North East for hundreds of years. In the late 1930s, a pit head bath was built on the hill to allow the miners to shower off the muck and dust from a long days work before heading home. Obviously, like most of the mining operations in Great Britain, the one at Angel of the North closed in the 1970s. The hill is situated not far from the A1 motorway and the Angel has been greeting people to the North East since 1998. It's thought to be seen by over 90,000 people a day. I remember reading about the installation of the Angel and thinking 'man, I have to see that.' And, at least for me, it didn't disappoint. At 65 feet high, it's the same height as four double decker buses stacked on top of each other. It's wingspan is 175 feet, which is similar to the wingspan of a jumbo jet. It's burnt copper colour stands out against the sky, whether it's a bright blue or an overcast grey. If you wonder why it was decided that an angel be the thing to greet people, the sculptor, Antony Gormley, said "The only response I can give is that no-one has ever seen one and we need to keep imagining them. The angel has three functions- firstly a historic one to remind us that below this site coal miners worked in the dark for two hundred years, secondly to grasp hold of the future, expressing out training from the industrial to the information age, and lastly to be a focus for our hopes and fears."
With a successful day under my belt, I spent the next day out at the coast. Thanks to Newcastle's Metro (I love that thing more and more) it's easy to get out to the coast. Within 30 minutes, I was in the town of Tynemouth. It's name doesn't take much deciphering; it's at the mouth of the Tyne River, where it flows into the North Sea. I hadn't even left the Metro station before I knew Tynemouth was a great find. Every weekend they have a market set up in the station. Tables upon tables are selling local veg and cheese, Newcastle-themed souvenirs and your basic bric-a-brac. Wandering past the tables, I had to remind myself that I hadn't even moved into my flat yet and certainly couldn't be loading up on trinkets. So I left the bits and bobs behind and headed into the town. Five minutes later, I was on the sea front. Ah, take in that good salty sea air. It certainly was brisk that day! The main attraction on the sea front, besides the sea, is the Tynemouth Priory and Castle. Tynemouth is the perfect example of why I love this country so much. At this one location you can explore over eight centuries of history (and that doesn't even include the history that didn't leave remains). The main attraction is the 13th century castle and priory, which was built on top of the original priory which was built in the 700s, and boasts an intact chapel and stained glass windows. The priory is surrounded by a graveyard dating back to the late 18th century. One of the things I loved most about these ruins (and I've seen a fair share of ruins) is that the priory and castle, and even the gravestones were made from sandstone and over the centuries it has worn from the persistent winds off the sea. It just makes the skeletons of these great buildings all that more intriguing. But if the castle and priory isn't enough history for you, it also acted as barracks during the 1800s and World War I and played a roll in the coastal defence of England during World War II. You can still walk through the bunkers to see where the ammunition was stored and even stand next to the refurbished gun. 
With the weekend over, it was time to move into my flat. I don't think I could have asked for a more centrally located place. Sitting right on the edge of campus, the city centre (with it's shopping and restaurants) is right across the street. The building I'm in was formerly a hotel, built in 1902. Thankfully it's been recently refurbished with state of the art key-less entry and WiFi. The first week was for international students and they offered a bunch of different sessions you could take (personal finance, library services, living in Newcastle, etc.). I have to say, these sessions definitely helped in adjusting to life here. There was even a brief lesson on how to understand Geordie, which is the local dialect and typically ranks as one of the hardest accents to understand. When I wasn't in a session, I was out exploring the city centre. As with most British cities, there is a focal point. While there are usually local corner shops in the farther out neighbourhoods, the city centre is where all the shopping and a lot of the entertainment is going to be. Newcastle, like most cities, has a pedestrian city centre. Most of the shops are in converted Victorian buildings so it adds a bit of class to the shopping excursions. With it's Victorian vibe, it's not surprising that there is a shopping arcade. Think of it as a precursor to the indoor shopping mall, but classier. Not far from the Central Arcade is the Grey Monument. It was built in honour of Charles, Earl Grey, who probably had a full life and did a lot of important stuff according to the dedication on the monument but will be forever known as, that "guy who has a tea named after him." I guess there are worse things to be remembered for. 
While most of my wandering have been around the city centre, I decided to liven it up the following weekend and go find the Castle Keep and Black Gate. Sounds pretty imposing, doesn't it? I didn't really know where I was going. I refuse to walk around with a map in my hand; I'm a local (kind of) after all. Thankfully every now and then, there were directional signs so soon I came upon something that looked old and gate like. The Black Gate was built between 1247 and 1250 and became the main entrance to the castle at Newcastle. As with most British sites, the physical building we can see now was built upon older foundations. In about the 2nd century, the Romans had a fort on this high ground that looked over the Tyne River below. You can't really explore much of the Black Gate but it is scheduled to be opened to the public in 2015 and they will be able to explore the floors above. I'll have to make sure to check that out! Just through the Black Gate and under the railway bridge (which obviously is a much later structure) is the Castle Keep. The first castle on the site was built by William the Conqueror's son in 1080. The castle was named New Castle Upon Tyne, seems like a good name for a town doesn't it? The building we see now, was built by Henry II around 1178. Being surrounded by more modern (and I use that loosely since many of the buildings are probably at least a hundred years hold; it's all relative) buildings, the keep almost looks like it come be a somewhat modern building that was supposed to look like a castle. Even if you have to use a little more imagination to get the sense of what this castle area would have been like, it still became the foundation for the city that surrounds it now. 