Newcastle, still in the northeast corner of England and the biggest town in the area, was going to be a longer-stay port, 10 days or so. Plenty of time for ... well, everything ... getting into a "normal" sleep pattern without night watches, exploring the area, learning a bit more deeply about the spot, and chatting with many many visitors.
The town itself is a jumbled contrast of old and new, as historic fires and floods forced changes. Here’s an interesting modern bridge — the design would have given me nightmares if it was a problem presented in our undergrad civil engineering class — and it’s actually an opening bridge that boats can go under! (though not boats as tall as ours, which is why we were docked a little outside of town) The entire structure rotates to make a pair of arches at a v-shape. (We finally saw it in action, though from a distance, while we’re here.) Looking further upstream, where the lowest of these bridges, the red swing bridge, is located has been a bridge since at least Roman times, when it was a wooden structure resting on stone pillars.
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| The row of bridges, looking upriver toward the town center from the riverwalk. |
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| screenshot from my phone of the modern bridge in its open configuration |
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| the modern bridge has this cantilevered walkway that vibrates somewhat alarmingly in the wind |
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| the modern bridge viewed from the riverwalk |
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| a closer look at the modern bridge ... and my engineering nightmare! |
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| Walking around town; quite steep and hilly so some of the bridge access ramps were quite high overhead |
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| it's not all old architecture; this is a music hall/event venue |
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| the river walk is cheerfully decorated, and has a farmer's market every Saturday morning |
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| one of our walks took us along this canal lined with tiny boats that can only move at high tide |
