July 17, 2004 - Newcastle

     It was rainy or overcast all day, but that worked out alright since we planned a low-key day exploring Newcastle.  As we were trying to get a taxi, the all-day, on-and-off city tour bus came by the hotel, so we jumped on and used it throughout the day.  We made three stops.

The Discovery Museum was excellent, focusing on the history of Newcastle and the history of the River Tyne which runs through it and which contributes to its full name: Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  The exhibits were particularly oriented toward young people, but old guys were hardly ignored.     The Discovery Museum was better organized than our second stop: the International Centre for Life, a biological sciences research and teaching center.  While we enjoyed it, there was a stifff entry fee (the Discovery Museum was free) and many of the fancy exhibits simply didn't work.      Currently, it is definitely organized with young people in mind, with the chief exhibit on:  Grossology.  In the Sniff, Sniff exhibit, for example, you squeeze a rubber bulb, sniffing the air that comes out and guess whether you are smelling a mouth, an armpit, toes, or an anus.  I've spared you the exhibit that begins, "Boogers come in many colors."

     Finally, we stopped in a shopping area for some supplies and lunch.  Soon, we were convinced we had fallen into a Goth convention, but we made some lovely new friends.


     Now it's time to pack up and confront traffic tomorrow morning.  We've had a good time during our stay in Newcastle, which is hardly a tourist Mecca in itself, though York and Durham are little more than tourist destinations.  Our sense is that there are relatively few Americans visiting here.

     I realize that you won't be reading this for awhile, since my wonderful internet connection has gone down, and I have no way of communicating.


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