Leaving on a jet-plane

 I was dreading leaving the city.  I do miss family and work, but the trip had been an eye-opener.  I had thought that watching those games were quite unattainable and it was a real experience for me to actually accomplish my goals and tick my bucket-list.  Yes, coming on this trip also made it seem like another trip like this was possible in the future too.

I had planned to walk to walk south to see as much as I could (perhaps catch a glimpse of the Angel of the North and discover eateries along the way, but it proved to be an insurmountable challenge as I had not really planned it on the map and the distance would prove to be too much for me.  Some of the sights were picturesque, I tell you.  They seemed to be sights viewed on postcards.  After a lot more walking, I turned tail and went back to the Quayside where I had breakfast on the second day.

I enjoyed breakfast and even took a few photographs with the hosts there.  Being a Sunday, The Quayside saw more customers and I offered to share tables with strangers since I was alone.

I shared the table with Abdullah from Saudi Arabia.  We made small talk and I found out that he was twenty-six but was studying there as he was in the mining industry back home and was there to learn about the subject.  I had finished my meal earlier and bade him goodbye, planning to browse souvenirs at a shop in the corner.  There were ten minutes before it did but along came Abdullah.  He was walking back to his apartment and invited to me to join him.

Why not?  I cast fears of being robbed aside and bravely took a walk with him.  His apartment was right in the city centre and there, I sat with his apartment-mate and friends from his homeland.  They were very welcoming and we chatted as Abdullah invited me to try Arabian coffee and tea.  I stay for a bit and went back to the souvenir shop.

Before I knew it, I was checking out from the hotel.  Being a three-star hotel, the place did not have fantastic amenities.  There was no wardrobe in the room and I did not find a telephone to call the front desk if I needed to.  However, the fantastic location of the place and the warmth of the staff made up for it and I was happy with the place of my stay.

I took the metro back to the airport and I left with a heavy heart.  I was not sure if I was going to be back but it had been a wonderful city which had many welcoming people.  Perhaps, I will find an excuse to return in the future?  Ta-at for now, Newcastle upon Tyne!

Premier League game against Fulham

 The Premier League game I was going to experience was much anticipated, although I would easily have picked a more exciting opposition.  No disrespect to Fulham - it just is not going to be as satisfying as a victory over a top-six side!  Our team has always been known as the party poopers and we seem to lift our game against stronger opposition.

This was the first time I was watching a Premier League game ‘live’ since its inception in 1992.  I have always been rooting for my team thousands of miles away on television so it was really special to be at St. James Park with fellow supporters watching our team clinch victory in the competition.

I had been waking up in the wee hours in England as my biological clock was still used to Singapore time.  I would either wake up and watch programmes on the goggle box or go around walking at 5 or 6 am in the cold there.

I started the day with breakfast at Tiny Tiny once more.  I had wanted to give it a chance after the not-so-appetising breakfast I had had the previous day.  I asked for recommendations again and a bowl of oats and a dish I cannot remember.  I only asked for a bit of meat this time and had some bacon in it.  It was better compared to my experience the previous day.

There was not a lot of time to waste that day as the match took place in the afternoon.  I only had time to walk around a little before deciding to reserve a seat at a restaurant for dinner after the game.

I arrived two hours ahead as the hospitality package included a three-course meal before the game.  As I made my way to Club St James for the meal, I found my heroes of yesteryear seated around - not only John Beresford, who recognised me from our interactions for the Benfica game, but also Rob Lee this time!  I was so excited and chatted with them a little.

The meal at Club St James saw us go collect our food; it was not served to the table like the previous time at Wings.  Still, food was pleasing.  Just to note - hospitality at whichever sector would see us getting the match programme that include details and write-ups of the teams.  It also came with a commemorative pin of the opposing team.  To collect the full set of the other nineteen premier league teams, one would have to watch all nineteen home games using hospitality tickets.  That would really cost a lot (I got this one at four hundred and twenty-two pounds!).

If you are reading this - anyone from the club - Newcastle United won both games that I watched at our shrine!  I hope that is a reason to invite me back for more, if not all, home games in future!  We sealed victory in the closing minutes of the game.  The atmosphere at the game was amazing again, but it left me with a tinge of sadness that it also signalled that my holiday in Newcastle upon Tyne was ending and the daily grind beckons once more.

I went to have dinner at Tomahawk Steakhouse.  It was located at the Quayside, just next-door to Rio’s which I visited a few days ago.  The atmosphere was more homely and I enjoyed the meal.  Though the portion looks big, it was actually manageable and it was tasty.

I retired to the room afterwards, pondering what I could do just before I left the next day.

Visit to the castle and an unexpected trip to Durham

The last of three places I had S looked up for breakfast was this little eatery not too far off called Tiny Tiny.  The weather was good but it was surprisingly chilly in the early hours and late nights.  I thanked myself for having a simply face mask for it blocked the strong winds and prevented my nose from freezing and dropping off.  It was five degrees Celsius on one morning and my nose was dripping like a leaking tap at times.  I had to go to a convenience stall to get myself a simple pair of gloves.

The eatery was not exactly within residential area and at the fringe of the city centre.  It had a respectable menu and I asked the staff at the counter to recommend me a dish.  I ended having this one called Turkish Eggs, which she told me was popular.  It was different from what I normally had but unfortunately, I did not take a fancy to it and decided to return another day to give the place another shot.

Having had nothing planned for the day, I decided to visit the castle which was a stone’s throw from where I put myself up.  I marveled at the architecture of the yesteryear and climbed ninety-nine steps to catch the best sights of the area at the castle gate.  There was a gift shop there where I bought more souvenirs.

I had thought of lazing around in the hotel room and watching shows on the television but I had the most surprising offer from a gentleman I had met in the Stadium Tour the previous day.  What happened was I had shared on Facebook Newcastle United Supporters Page Singapore that I had been on the tour and how I felt it was worth the money and a member of the page, Mr John Dennison, identified himself, saying he was on the same tour!  It was really coincidental as it was not the original tour I had signed up for and I gave him my contact number on Messenger.

John contacted me and told me he was staying in Durham in Newcastle and offered to show me around where he was if I caught the train to where he was.  I thought that since I was on an adventure on my own, I should step out of my comfort zone and just travel to see the sights.  I had someone bringing me and I doubted that he would want much from a fifty-year-old Asian man.  Haha.

I took the train, not the metro, after asking for directions from the staff there.  It was another experience and I sat with this well-dressed gentleman.  He chatted with me and explained he was in Edinburgh for work and was travelling home.  Football binds people and we spoke about it.  He was a Middlesbrough supporter and we spoke fondly about Juninho and Tavenelli.

I met John at the platform of the station after alighting and he drove me to the Durham Cathedral.  We had a drink before he showed me around the marvellous building.  We then went on a walk and caught wondrous sights of the river there.  We sat for coffee and spoke.  It turns out that he had studied in Singapore in his early days and would visit Singapore annually to meet his previous schoolmates for a gathering.

I thanked him for showing me around again and returned in the late afternoon.  I cannot remember doing much the rest of the day that day and fell asleep without dinner that night.

Stadium Tour and shopping

Woke up early and started the day channel surfing.  Left to try out new breakfast place called Blake’s near the city centre.  It offers the typical American / British breakfast and I enjoyed my meal there.

People here either do not seem to be out early or eat out for breakfast that early, so I usually have no problems with seats.  While eating, I noticed an Asian face at another table and nodded to him.  He came over to speak after he finished breakfast and I found out that he is from China, in town only for a couple of days.  He had studied in Singapore in his early years and we spoke for a while.

En route to St. James Park for the Stadium Tour, I walked to see Chinatown.  It was early and most shops were not open yet.  Still, I do not think I will be missing something.

I had initially booked the tour to be at 11.30am but found that I would have to wait sometime for it.  I strolled in Leazes Park in the vicinity of the stadium but still ended up early.  I decided to try asking if I could shift my tour up to the 10.30am one.

I am racking up steps easily while I am here!  My usual step count on a normal day back in Singapore would be four thousand odd, but ten thousand here is not a problem.  Of course, I do not have to sit and mark and teach in classrooms here.

The Stadium Tour was worth the money, I thought.  For twenty-three pounds, we were told the history of the team and given access to places I would only see in photographs usually.  They include the dressing rooms, VIP boxes, pitch-side, the dugouts and even the media suite.  It was as close to getting to the team on match days!

 

I followed that up with lunch at an eatery along the roads and went shopping for souvenirs at Eldon Square, the place to go for a shopping mall, I was told.  I was not left exactly very impressed but bout things for my family.  I even managed to find a book I was looking for - Pete Graves’ Here to Compete and I was quite glad how the day turned out for me.

I had a drink at Wetherspoons near the hotel where I stay before lethargy beat me.  I fell asleep without dinner that night.