Buffy was playing at The Sage, a strange looking building of glass and metal on the south bank of the river Tyne. I've never managed to find out why it's the shape it is but it looks impressive enough and is right beside the Baltic art gallery and the lovely Blinking Bridge (I've seen it blink on telly but not in real life - yet).
The next morning started off lovely and sunny, glorious blue sky providing the backdrop to Newcastle as we had breakfast overlooking the river and looking over to the Castle Keep that gives Newcastle it's name (well, it was new once).
But, between paying the bill and walking onto the balcony to take photos, it started snowing. Not just a few flakes, but thick flurries that whited-out parts of the opposite banks of the Tyne. That was, naturally, the signal to go out and walk across the Tyne Bridge to take photos. Yes, the white bits in the photo of the Sage below are big, fat snowflakes - I caught some on my tongue too.
The snow didn't last for long and soon it was just freezing cold and then, by the time we'd got into the centre of Newcastle, the blue sky was back. You know you're in the centre since Earl Grey proudly stands there on his column and surveys the city - you can see him from the opposite bank of the Tyne in Gateshead. I went up the column many years ago - there's a spiral staircase inside but it closed years ago. From up there he surveys the Georgian streets of the Newcastle that grew rich on coal and the industrial revolution and displayed its wealth in the glorious stone buildings that took over from the former city. And that growth is happening again today with lots of building going on, only this time it seems to be mainly in steel and glass.
A trip to the Laing art gallery and then lunch at 'Collectables'. Then we walked back to the train station via the Central Arcade (I bought my first Buffy record in Window's music shop in the arcade in the mid-'70s) and later walked past Mark Toney's ice-cream emporium. I remember being taken there in the late '60s-early '70s by my Mam for treats - we would eat delicious ice-cream in glass bowls while she had a 'proper' coffee (this was in the days before percolators and stuff). It's still there but in my day didn't have seats outside - that would've been common!
I always look out for Anthony Gormley's 'Angel Of The North' just south of Gateshead when I'm on that train, so, since we were playing with cameras on the journey south here's a photo of him. I've never been closer than this so one day I must actually visit the Angel. Later, the big full moon came out and it was nice to see the Rabbit in the Moon again - can you see him? I can, quite clearly...
1 comment:
Apparently the story of the Sage 'shape' is that the architects were sitting trying to think of something distinctive and were having a difficult time - until their lunch was delivered and on the trolley was a shrink-wrapped tray of some apples - Eureka.....!
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