11th March

"In heaven an angel is nobody in particular." George Bernard Shaw

When I arrived in Newcastle, it was pretty late. I did not really have much time to do much so I decided to go siteseeing tomorrow. However, I was in mood to go out since the last few nights I did not go out. I was told that Newcastle was known for its crazy nightlife (voted eighth party city in the world). I noticed a flyer in my hostel for a salsa night nearby. I decided to go around 9pm. I was determined to meet some Geordies (the name for people from Newcastle), and get a feel for their distinct accent.

The Salsa club was called Mood it was located in this nighlife "mall" called The Gate. As I stood next to the bar, I talked to the barmaid for a while until I started asking random girls to dance (that's what all the guys did, it wasn't just me). I met these polish people and found out that they were all PhD students in Biology (what a coincidence!). One of them was really good at dancing salsa. Unfortunately, I ded not meet any Geordies, but I was still determined to meet some tomorrow. The night ended at 12am, and I thought it would be best I head back to the hostel.

The next morning, I went around the city. I went to Newcastle's science museum called Discover Museum, where I learned a little of history. Then, I went to Gateshead (which is next to Newcastle), crossing the famous millenium bridge (or the blinking bridge as Geordies like to call it). This bridge is what's on all the Newcastle postcards and the picture in this blog entry. It is called the blinking bridge because the walking path lifts when a boat wants to cross and it looks like a blinking eye.

I took a bus in Gatehead to the Angel of the North. The Angel of the North is a contemporary steel sculpture of an angel standing 20 meters high with its wings out. it was designed by Antony Gormley in 1994, and took four years to be completed. The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward, which Gormley has said aims to create "a sense of embrace". I'm still not sure why it was constructed, but it is one of England's icons.

When I got back, I planned to take a bus right away to Edinburgh, however no buses were available until 8pm, so I took a train instead. Edinburgh was another city that was known for its nightlife. After only 24 hours, I quickly realized why Newcastle has the reputation of being the city in the UK that contains the friendliest people. Everytime I had a map in my hand, or I looked lost, there was always someone that offered to help me. I was a little sad that I only had one day here, however when I come back to the UK, this will definitely be a stop that I will dedicate more time to.