The Steep End

I woke up hungry to walk up and down Newcastle's slalom alleys and lanes, so we walked across the High Level Bridge and back across the Tyne Bridge. We were hoping for some hipster coffee but didn't succeed today. So we went for the other extreme: some really British coffee from Queen's Cafe just across the road from our flat. I heard a Geordie businessman in a great business suit order a bacon roll with brown sauce, and once I had googled brown sauce, I took a creepshot of him because he looked so good.

After paying off some sleep debt later that morning, we went to Newcastle Castle via Dog Leap Steps (a dead seagull in a plastic bag on the top step, and a homeless person sleeping just next to the castle) and decided to do the full experience from the Castle Garth and Keep to the Tower with its narrow winding stairs, hidden rooms, and giddy heights. This was inspiring and very engaging, although I did feel fear at a few points - especially when walking past an oubliette called "The Heron Pit" and when visiting a tiny cell through a narrow hall where prisoners were kept until the assizes. Chilling.

We went for a beer at Ask Italian and met a cute gay waiter who we learned was not a Geordie (from Newcastle) but a Mackem (from Seaham). And after that I went for a haircut and beard trim at The Hoi Polloi where my barber Jack Porter gave me a classy trim while being charming with a thick Geordie Accent. Mint!

Dinner was Italian by the Quayside at Sambuca, and a walk along the banks of the Tyne looking at the reflection of the Tyne Bridge and Sage Gateshead.

A sweet day.Read more