Great Britain > Newcastle upon Tyne
By Jessica Lloyd

Party Town!
This little place is well-known for its party scene. A wander down town on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night will prove this reputation to be well earned. With people coming and going from the bars and pubs, there is always someone to look at or to follow. It is a weird little slice of life in England, with the bars not having a really classifiable ‘type’ who frequent them, for the most part.

In any bar you will find the full spectrum of people, from the old guys enjoying a pint with their mates, to the young, barely-dressed girls out looking for a good time. The middle ages come to town too, without the wife and kids in tow, but you can just tell they are at home waiting for them, despite the protestations via stance and wandering eyes (and hands) that they are not. People come from nearby towns to go out here, and it is famous in England. The young women here are also very famous for wearing very little.

A Gold Clock and Too Many Bridges
The new gold clock on the cathedral is a bit of an eye sore, it doesn’t actually match the rest of the building. It sticks out garishly like a relic out of Alice in Wonderland. Despite this tragic attempt at modernisation, the town is as old as any in England, with cobbled streets and ancient castles. The river splits the town, with three – yes three – bridges in close proximity to each other, crossing over to the same side. The nearness of these bridges makes at least two of them seem unnecessary. There is a huge boat on the river that serves as a restaurant and bar, and is a nice touch with sparkly lights and an ominous presence. It looks like a cruise ship. The river is a bit murky, but that is to be expected. England is not famous for preserving its waterways, or in fact, preserving anything natural. England is decidedly unenvironmentally friendly.

The People
Technically, people from Newcastle are Novocastrians, although the term Geordie is more commonly used. As an ‘out of towner’ Newcastle is certainly a strange little place. The people are very… well… strange. The most common comment has been “they are just not … like us”. Its almost as if they come from a Back to the Future trip, or a parallel universe. There, with two arms and two legs, but just in a different dimension. This may be biased by my admittedly fleeting trip there, but the images have stuck in my mind:

We are in a bar, surrounded by middle aged men and women, old men and women, and young men and women – there was absolutely no discrimination, everybody lumped in together which is better for some than others. A severely obese woman wearing a tank top, with her lip gloss smeared around her lips, rather than on them, is hounding a man standing next to her, repeating herself like a broken record “is she your girlfriend?” seemingly oblivious to his replies (which were “no”, but soon turned to “yes”). Another woman who, upon entering a friends apartment building, couldn’t hold onto her bladder, and made no attempt to do so, nor gave any warning. On the front doorstep. She then proceeded to dry her panties in the microwave, without even a shred of shame.

Overall, people are friendly and accepting, but then you’d have to be to live here for long! There are so many bars and clubs here, there is not exactly too much you can run out of to do in a night. As long as drinking is part of your plan. Its not particularly cheap to drink, but since living costs are low for England, it sort of balances out. You will need a broad mind to escape unscathed from Newcastle.

Newcastle is also famous for…
Newcastle Brown Ale, and Geordies. The Ale is, of course, a drink, and Geordies are the people. The ale is famous all over the UK, and is much loved and often drunk. (The beer, that is.) Geordies are found all over the place, in part because the ship yards have been closed down one by one, forcing many people away from the area in search of work.

The definition of a Geordie sometimes means “anyone in sight of the Tyne {river})” but often means “anyone born in the North-East of England”. Take your pick. Geordies are distinguishable by their accents and what appears to be a language all of their own. This is also very common in England – very hard-to-understand accents mingled with terrible English and local slang.

Newcastle is growing more modern as time goes by, with apartment blocks, trendy restaurants and bars, and a renovated quayside. It is not a boring place to visit, and has a few museums of interest. The best and biggest is Beamish which is Europe’s largest museum. Most of it is outside, and is made up of replicas of how life was 100-200 years ago. Trains, trams, shops and homes all make up the quite interesting displays. There are also quite a few theatres and arty bits and pieces around Newcastle, for the more creatively inclined among us.

Getting Around
Newcastle has a Metro system, which has five stops around the city. The fare is about the same as for a bus. There are lots of buses as well. Getting to and from Newcastle is easy, and can be done by train, bus or car. Travelling by car in the UK is expensive because of petrol and diesel costs, not to mention insurance and registration if you own your own car. Trains are very comfortable, and fast, but buses take a long time and stop often.

Overall, a very pleasant and vibrant place to go to have a look around, and of course, to party. Probably one of England’s more ‘happening’ places, forging a personality of its own despite being forced to be stuck in the past as far as architecture and society goes.

Newcastle Links & Accommodation