Blogs from Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Over the years, on trips through Europe, we've worked east across Europe. In 2016 we got to Russia, Ukraine and Georgia. We fell in love with Georgia and are now spending a few weeks in Armenia, full of aspirations and excitement to be out travelling again. And we're off!... read more

After all the tooling and froing (France, we can, we can't, maybe we can, nope, we can't) we settled on the relative ease of a round the UK tour. Setting off (late, of course) we headed north on the M1, something we've not really done for quite some time! Seth has decided he likes motorway services (I mean who doesn't really) so at every single sign he saw he developed a sudden desperation to go to the toilet. Me and ash played a game of toilet roulette, trying to second guess which were real and which were Moto inspired. This time, we got it right! The one we did stop at saw me pulling out my phone and the entire contents of my pocket in front of many amused folk on their way to the toilet ... read more

I sit in the Free Trade Inn and gaze down the Tyne towards the city. A city built on trade and the river. The pub sits on an elevated site and has one of the cherished views in a relatively unknown area of the city. I can see the BALTIC, a glimpse of the Sage, the Blinking Eye and part of the High Level Bridge. We are a long way from the iconic party drinking scene of the Bigg Market and the Quayside and yet it is a mere stones throw. The pub, once the venue for workers after a hard days graft in the local industries is now home to the creative types and students who frequent this area, officer workers on their way home and the plain curious such as myself who appreciate good ... read more

Once again we are off on a long summer trip. This time, the originator of the trip is a North Sea cruise aboard the Disney Magic, leaving from Dover, England. We decided to add on a few things to our itinerary and make it a full month trip. This trip has a unique feature. Michelle has her learners permit and is driving us partway to LAX. We left nice and early to have plenty of time for the trip. We were so early we decided there was time to watch Spiderman: Far From Home in Calabasas. The shopping center the theater was in had a big fountain with a multitude of turtles. One turtle was crossing the parking lot when we drove in so Tony jumped out and put him back in the fountain. The theater ... read more

My preferred option for travel when in the North East was not available. The managerial wisdom in railway circles these days is trying very hard to convince the world that a local train without a guard is good idea. The rail unions obviously think differently. Driver only trains indeed. Result. Stalemate. Strikes! I can’t remember how many there have been or how long the dispute has been running, but this was the first one to seriously inconvenience my plans. I wasn’t too disgruntled, because I am in broad agreement with the union point of view. I say this as a passenger on a train where the driver overshot the platform by 10 metres, before the guard reminded him it was a bit of a necessity if passengers were to alight without turning into abseiling experts. The ... read more