After a day’s rest from my 84-mile walk I was feeling somewhat regenerated. My ambitions were small for this transition day. I thought a walking loop around town would be just right after which I’d hop a train to Edinburgh. I never should have talked with the hostel staff. I never should have learned about the £4.80 Daily Saver. I never should have been tempted to go on a grander Newcastle adventure.
The first loop was a walk turned out great. It was everything I’d planned for and a whole lot more. You can’t plan to be offered the opportunity to see the inside of The Sage Gateshead performing arts center. You cant plan to strike up a conversation with a stranger and learn of a recently-opened viewing gallery overlooking all of the Tyne and Newcastle. You can’t plan for the cloudy sky to break and let the sun shine through at just the right time when you’re in just the right places. As before, the Newcastle skyline and the Millennium Bridge were my favorite things to see.
The Daily Saver, an all-day Metro ticket, facilitated my second loop as it gave me easy access to the coast. Imagine that from downtown Newcastle I could easily get to points along the coast and along the river and all for the price of a subway ticket! Marvelous! I rode to the coast and walked down to where the river meets the sea. Then, included in my Daily Saver was the cost of a pedestrian ferry which took me to the other side of the river. There I caught the Metro again to return to downtown to gather my things and catch a train to Edinburgh.
Sometime it boggles the mind what I can squeeze into a day.
