Newcastle, Norway, teaching computers and the big performance
Hello everyone
Well, the days are getting shorter and colder... I can finally feel that winter is just around the corner... Tuesday was a big day here for me as it was the first day that Ive wore my new scarf I bought... soon it will be joined by gloves... until I hop on the stinking hot tube!
Since, I last wrote in my blog I have been doing a little more travelling around Europe.. the weekend after experiencing Edinburgh, I experienced Newcastle..
On my African tour, I met Meg, Claire and Amy who are all physios that work in Newcastle (although they dont go from the area) and I promised them that I will get up to visit them in Newcastle..
After telling the guys at work that I was going to Newcastle, the excitement was building as they explained to me that Newcastle is very unique in every sense of the word with some people telling me that best nightlife in the UK exists in Newcastle.. so after hearing all this I was very keen to go up north (also as a Magpies supporter, I always supported Newcastle United in the Premier League so that was another reason why I was keen to see the home of the famous black and white!)
The weekend didnt start on the best note, a major delay at Stanstead Airport so my flight was over an hour late leaving (which meant it was about 1015pm!!) My first experience of Stanstead was not very favourable and all the negative reports Ive heard about the airport were very true.. Waiting at the terminal, I had my first experience of listening to the Jordie (not sure how you spell it) accent... very unique.. besides that the plane was full of Hens and Bucks weekends, a very popular place to visit for your last weekend of singlehood..
After landing quite late, I caught up with Coachy and the girls and had an early night as the following day we had a busy day of sightseeing planned around Newcastle.
As most of you would know, Newcastle was built around the coal industry (aka Newcastle in Australia) but like steel in Sheffield that industry is long back gone and the town has had a complete facelift and is now a thriving city in Yorkshire.
The next morning Meg took Coachy and myself for a sightseeing tour of Newcastle, like many cities in England it has a good balance of the 'old' town and the 'new' town.. with all respects to Newcastle there arent that many big 'touristy' things to see in town. Probably my favourite part was down at the Quayside with the replica of the Sydney Harbour bridge and the Millenium bridge (feels like every city in this country has a millenium bridge). I did check out St James Park and even though its Newcastle, I felt right at home with all the black and white everywhere.. Next time I come up here, I will try and time it so I can see a Premiership game.. although poor old Newcastle are struggling this year..
After an enjoyable afternoon checking out the sights we decided to rest up for the big night ahead - tackling the Newcastle nightlife!
I was told the one thing that stands out in Newcastle nightlife is the abundance of 'chavs' that wear next to nothing in freezing cold temperatures.. Well, I did see a few and many I think walking with their Mums hitting the nightlife together.. scary sight trust me!!! We started at a cocktail bar before venturing to a more modern 'Londonesque' club before we got to the 'real' Newcastle nightlife.. a underground club with cheezy music and cheap drinks.. what else do you need for a night on the town..
As, we all staggered home around 3 in the morning it was pleasing to know that I managed to survive my first night hitting the Newcastle nightlife!
The next day, besides waking with a killer headache we headed for an English beach.. (the first one that Ive been to!!) We went to Tynemouth (I promised you Rob that I would visit and it was well worth it!) a picturesque little town situated right on the water and with what I regard as the best fish and chips in England!! We went for a long walk along the beach.. what surprised me was the wannabe surfers out there.. Im seen bigger waves in my bath..
We then had a relaxing afternoon before the flight back to London.. it was a massive w'end but I walked away with high regard of Newcastle and I will definitely be back... Thanks for Claire,Meg and Amy for everything and hopefully I will see you guys again soon!!
The next week, I went to Kate's going away dinner..very sad to say goodbye as Kate was one my good friends in London but Im sure we will catch up in Aus.. I also went to Kyms going away, who has gone back to Aus to work in WA.. you do tend to go to many going aways in this city..
I was very excited this week, as I only had a four day week as I was going to Norway.. In 1999, when I volunteered in South Africa I was part of a program where there were 32 of us from 16 countries and one of my closest friends on that program was Anne May.. and I always promised that I would one day get myself to Norway to visit.. She came to study in Brisbane for a year in 2000 but I havent seen her since then.. She is now married with a beautiful daughter and another on the way..
I flew into Stavenger on the west coast of Norway and a city built on the oil industry that ensures this country remains the richest in Europe.. It was so good to see Anne May after all these years, and she hasnt changed at all... as she lives about 2 hours north of Stavenger, we caught up before picking her husband up at work (he works in the oil industry) We then took a scenic drive back to Flekkfjord, and some of the sights were just phenomenal. I had to pinch myself that I was driving through Norway.. its such a beautiful country..
The next day I went to Anne Mays Grandmothers house for a traditional breakfast (my second for the day) and then we took a drive to a little island, where the Germans occupied during the War. They landed to keet a watchful eye on the Brits from across the sea.. they were there for 4 years and the bunkers are all still in tack.. we even had hotdogs in one of the bunkers!!
Besides the history up there, the sights were just outstanding.. and it was soooo nice to be outside in 'fresh' air.. I realised how much I miss it..
We then went for a drive to the surrounding villages and they were exactly how I imagined Norwegian villages would be.. That night we had some dinner before going out with Hans (Anne May's husband) to hit the local nightlife.. this was his first time being out locally and for a town of 4000 people, I wasnt expecting much.. with the first pub having 3 people in it, I was a little worried but we went to a nice bar on the water and had a few drinks and met some of the locals.. Their English skills here are really good.. especially in comparison to my Norwegian..
On Sunday, we went into Stavenger for a look around the city and checked out the Oil Museum.. I then took the afternoon plane home to London (further delays.. but Im getting used to that!) It was so good to see Anne May again, and to meet her family.. Im sure I will be back again one day..
This week, has been busy as I started taking computer courses at Brent Mind.. Im teaching them Word.. (actually they are really teaching me Word!!) On Wed, I had my final week of the Performing Arts Course so we performed our sections to the rest of the group.. I was in 2 dance pieces and the acting piece.. heaps of fun and we are all ready for the Christmas party in late Dec... then last night I was at the Homeless Kitchen again, this time I dragged along Julia!! Really been enjoying myself there lately, and the users are getting to know who I am as Im called a seasoned campaigner with them..
This week, Im not flying anywhere.. wwhhooppee!! Im going to School Disco tomorrow night, which promises to be an interesting night out!!
Till next time.
Stay in touch and post a comment
Troy
Well, the days are getting shorter and colder... I can finally feel that winter is just around the corner... Tuesday was a big day here for me as it was the first day that Ive wore my new scarf I bought... soon it will be joined by gloves... until I hop on the stinking hot tube!
Since, I last wrote in my blog I have been doing a little more travelling around Europe.. the weekend after experiencing Edinburgh, I experienced Newcastle..
On my African tour, I met Meg, Claire and Amy who are all physios that work in Newcastle (although they dont go from the area) and I promised them that I will get up to visit them in Newcastle..
After telling the guys at work that I was going to Newcastle, the excitement was building as they explained to me that Newcastle is very unique in every sense of the word with some people telling me that best nightlife in the UK exists in Newcastle.. so after hearing all this I was very keen to go up north (also as a Magpies supporter, I always supported Newcastle United in the Premier League so that was another reason why I was keen to see the home of the famous black and white!)
The weekend didnt start on the best note, a major delay at Stanstead Airport so my flight was over an hour late leaving (which meant it was about 1015pm!!) My first experience of Stanstead was not very favourable and all the negative reports Ive heard about the airport were very true.. Waiting at the terminal, I had my first experience of listening to the Jordie (not sure how you spell it) accent... very unique.. besides that the plane was full of Hens and Bucks weekends, a very popular place to visit for your last weekend of singlehood..
After landing quite late, I caught up with Coachy and the girls and had an early night as the following day we had a busy day of sightseeing planned around Newcastle.
As most of you would know, Newcastle was built around the coal industry (aka Newcastle in Australia) but like steel in Sheffield that industry is long back gone and the town has had a complete facelift and is now a thriving city in Yorkshire.
The next morning Meg took Coachy and myself for a sightseeing tour of Newcastle, like many cities in England it has a good balance of the 'old' town and the 'new' town.. with all respects to Newcastle there arent that many big 'touristy' things to see in town. Probably my favourite part was down at the Quayside with the replica of the Sydney Harbour bridge and the Millenium bridge (feels like every city in this country has a millenium bridge). I did check out St James Park and even though its Newcastle, I felt right at home with all the black and white everywhere.. Next time I come up here, I will try and time it so I can see a Premiership game.. although poor old Newcastle are struggling this year..
After an enjoyable afternoon checking out the sights we decided to rest up for the big night ahead - tackling the Newcastle nightlife!
I was told the one thing that stands out in Newcastle nightlife is the abundance of 'chavs' that wear next to nothing in freezing cold temperatures.. Well, I did see a few and many I think walking with their Mums hitting the nightlife together.. scary sight trust me!!! We started at a cocktail bar before venturing to a more modern 'Londonesque' club before we got to the 'real' Newcastle nightlife.. a underground club with cheezy music and cheap drinks.. what else do you need for a night on the town..
As, we all staggered home around 3 in the morning it was pleasing to know that I managed to survive my first night hitting the Newcastle nightlife!
The next day, besides waking with a killer headache we headed for an English beach.. (the first one that Ive been to!!) We went to Tynemouth (I promised you Rob that I would visit and it was well worth it!) a picturesque little town situated right on the water and with what I regard as the best fish and chips in England!! We went for a long walk along the beach.. what surprised me was the wannabe surfers out there.. Im seen bigger waves in my bath..
We then had a relaxing afternoon before the flight back to London.. it was a massive w'end but I walked away with high regard of Newcastle and I will definitely be back... Thanks for Claire,Meg and Amy for everything and hopefully I will see you guys again soon!!
The next week, I went to Kate's going away dinner..very sad to say goodbye as Kate was one my good friends in London but Im sure we will catch up in Aus.. I also went to Kyms going away, who has gone back to Aus to work in WA.. you do tend to go to many going aways in this city..
I was very excited this week, as I only had a four day week as I was going to Norway.. In 1999, when I volunteered in South Africa I was part of a program where there were 32 of us from 16 countries and one of my closest friends on that program was Anne May.. and I always promised that I would one day get myself to Norway to visit.. She came to study in Brisbane for a year in 2000 but I havent seen her since then.. She is now married with a beautiful daughter and another on the way..
I flew into Stavenger on the west coast of Norway and a city built on the oil industry that ensures this country remains the richest in Europe.. It was so good to see Anne May after all these years, and she hasnt changed at all... as she lives about 2 hours north of Stavenger, we caught up before picking her husband up at work (he works in the oil industry) We then took a scenic drive back to Flekkfjord, and some of the sights were just phenomenal. I had to pinch myself that I was driving through Norway.. its such a beautiful country..
The next day I went to Anne Mays Grandmothers house for a traditional breakfast (my second for the day) and then we took a drive to a little island, where the Germans occupied during the War. They landed to keet a watchful eye on the Brits from across the sea.. they were there for 4 years and the bunkers are all still in tack.. we even had hotdogs in one of the bunkers!!
Besides the history up there, the sights were just outstanding.. and it was soooo nice to be outside in 'fresh' air.. I realised how much I miss it..
We then went for a drive to the surrounding villages and they were exactly how I imagined Norwegian villages would be.. That night we had some dinner before going out with Hans (Anne May's husband) to hit the local nightlife.. this was his first time being out locally and for a town of 4000 people, I wasnt expecting much.. with the first pub having 3 people in it, I was a little worried but we went to a nice bar on the water and had a few drinks and met some of the locals.. Their English skills here are really good.. especially in comparison to my Norwegian..
On Sunday, we went into Stavenger for a look around the city and checked out the Oil Museum.. I then took the afternoon plane home to London (further delays.. but Im getting used to that!) It was so good to see Anne May again, and to meet her family.. Im sure I will be back again one day..
This week, has been busy as I started taking computer courses at Brent Mind.. Im teaching them Word.. (actually they are really teaching me Word!!) On Wed, I had my final week of the Performing Arts Course so we performed our sections to the rest of the group.. I was in 2 dance pieces and the acting piece.. heaps of fun and we are all ready for the Christmas party in late Dec... then last night I was at the Homeless Kitchen again, this time I dragged along Julia!! Really been enjoying myself there lately, and the users are getting to know who I am as Im called a seasoned campaigner with them..
This week, Im not flying anywhere.. wwhhooppee!! Im going to School Disco tomorrow night, which promises to be an interesting night out!!
Till next time.
Stay in touch and post a comment
Troy
posted by Troy Aitken | 2:06 AM
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