Whenever I look back at my life, the one year that I spent at Newcastle was perhaps the time that taught me the most. I lost my fear of walking alone, I learnt to accept the various perspectives without judgement. I also lost my fear of eating alone.
The reason was mostly the new friends I made and the solo travels I undertook. Some of these travels were 4-5 days long, others a lasted only few hours. For example, the solo walk that I took along the Newcastle Quayside one evening. I wrote about it in details on Ghumakkar. And today I will revisit it through this Time-Turner post.
There are many memorable aspects of Newcastle, and one of them is the lively and happening quayside that one can easily walk along for hours. I had had glimpses of this quayside from my office windows, and while I went to get my lunch from the sandwich shop, or when I decided to walk rather than take a bus home. And I had an idea that there are several bridges over the River Tyne a few 100 metres from my office, and I wanted to see them. You will find all the details of these bridges in my Ghumakkar post.
The quayside was also the place where I took part in one of the first literature festivals. As a part of this festival, I read a few of my poems and found out that they weren't so bad after all. Also I also discovered that it wasn't too difficult to make British audience laugh.
Also the quayside is lined with some really interesting pubs and bars that serve an interesting variety of cocktails and pub food. I remember hanging out here with friends till late and then taking a bus ride home at 2 am in the morning, alone, after having pizza at a deli. I also remember feeling extremely safe while doing all that.
In the evenings especially, the quayside appears very bright and colorful. The credit for this also goes to the stunning Gateshead countryside that one can view from the Newcastle side. And also to the Gateshead millennium Bridge that gets illuminated in florescent colors every evening.
The quayside also leads up to the Castle Keep, one very famous historical monument of Newcastle. As expected the Keep has its own set of resident ghosts, and is supposed to be a very spooky place. However, when I got there, it was still day and the castle looked pretty harmless. I remember being a little disappointed by this. But that was just me and my fascination with supernatural. Otherwise the Keep is a very beautiful structure.
If in case any of you plan to visit Newcastle, I strongly recommend a walking tour of the Quayside. I recommend starting on foot in late afternoon from the office complex area and then moving towards the bridges. After covering all the bridges, you can cross the high-level bridge and then back and head to the Castle Keep. It can all be covered on foot and I guarantee that you will see some amazing sights.
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