In Sapa, Vietnam

In Sapa, Vietnam

About Me

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Sharing time between Southampton and Noyal-Muzillac in southern Brittany. Sports coach, gardener, hockey player, cyclist and traveller. I studied an MA in Management and Organisational Dynamics at Essex University in 2016-17. Formerly an Operations Manager with NEC Technologies (UK) Ltd.

Sunday 27 December 2015

In the increasingly fair city of Newcastle Upon Tyne

Walking Monday: 2.2km
Swimming Monday: 1.3km
Walking Wednesday: 2.3km
Swimming Wednesday: 1.15km
Walking Thursday: 4.9km
Swimming Thursday: 1.00km
Walking Friday: 5.0km (actually running - whose bright idea was that on Christmas Day?)
Walking Saturday: 16.8km (New Forest and into town to watch Saints beat Arsenal)

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It's The Gaumont, Southampton, sometime in 1980. 

Mark Knopfler, frontman to Dire Straits is on stage just at the point when they became successful and moved from playing small theatres like the Gaumont (now rebranded The Mayflower) to their future in playing mega-stadiums.

"Good evening, we're Dire Straits and we are from God's own town, the fair city of Newcastle on Tyne"

I hadn't been to Newcastle then, I've been several times since and I'm back here again, this afternoon on a guided walk around the old quayside area. First time I came here it was a derelict quay area, not somewhere you'd want to be after dark. Today it's a revitalised waterfront area where everyone goes for the nightlife and there are spectacular additions to the waterline including the Gateshead Millenium Bridge and the refurbished Baltic Centre. 

In September we were in the South of France at the Millau viaduct, designed by Foster Architects. Today we saw another Foster design, the magnificent Sage centre in Gateshead. Like all great designs it's simple, reputedly based on a tray of apples wrapped in cling film, and it's transformed the Gateshead area. 


The iconic Tyne Bridge built in 1928 frames the equally iconic Sage Centre built in 2004.

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