After much searching, I finally found a way to gain Internet access in Newcastle (no, the city is not that backward, just seriously lacking in internet cafes): the public library. Given, I had to wait about 45 minutes after reserving a computer time, but I read about half of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's new book, so the wait was not in vain.
When I last updated, I was over at Adrian and Denise's house getting ready for dinner/a night out with Catherine. We went to South Shields at about 9:30 for the finale of Saturday's festivities for the Mouth of Tyne Festival: a parade and performance by a group called Malabar, which depicted the birth of the sun. The parade was really spectacular: performers in colorful costumes on stilts with a huge praying mantis and copious amounts of pyrotechnics. Sign me up! :) The performance itself was Cirque du Soleil-esque...lots of movement segments to tell the overall story. There were also a fair number of acrobatic sequences, using supports which were suspended from the praying mantis's head (musicians played on it's back), and the performance concluded with the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen...I knew that something would make up for my missing Independence Day this year! (Although, truth be told, this put "Freedom Blast '08" to shame...the entire show felt like Indy's grand finale!) :)
Yesterday, we piled into the car and explored some of the local history near Gateshead, including the ruins of the ancient monastery at St. Paul's (where there has been continual Christian worship for 1300 years, not to mention the pagan worship that most likely took place there before the conquest) and the pedestrian tunnel at Jarrow which crosses under the Tyne. (Very chilly in the tunnel, and a very slow-moving wooden escalator.) Later in the day, we met up with my Uncle Simon, Auntie Ann, and my cousin Sarah (my other cousin Christopher was on a school trip in the Lake District) and went to see the Angel of the North, a huge statue that has become a cultural icon of Northern England. I do not remember seeing it up close on our last visit, but it is absolutely massive. (My uncle asked me if people outside of the UK actually know about it...I seriously doubted that many of them even know that England contains more than London, but my American readers are welcome to comment away!) The eight of us went out for a pub dinner afterwards (always a fun place to spend the evening), and on our way back, my group stopped by to visit my Grandma. (She was already in bed at that point, since her carer helps her get ready, but she was wide awake and seemed really glad to see us and hear about our day.) We are planning to try to see her again this afternoon, as well as visit with my great-Auntie Hilda (who I recall as being a little spitfire...that's where I get it!). Tomorrow, we are heading west to the Lake District to spend a few days with my Auntie Brenda and Uncle Tom, with plans to stop along the way at some of the sights that we have not yet visited. Prepare for fascinating historical updates (or, at least, prepare to be jealous of me for spending time in a cottage in the Lakes with an aunt who is an excellent cook...all of the weight I lost on the "Budget-Minding College Student Walking Around London Diet" should be back by Saturday...).
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