Friday, June 02, 2006
Newcastle
2-MAY-2006:
We spent a nice two-week vacation in Newcastle. We took a first-class GNER coach (Great North-Eastern Railway) from the London King's Cross railway station. The journey took 3 hours and was the most comfortable journey we've ever had. Dominic slept most of the journey ... in my arms. While he slept, SM and I watched a movie on our laptop. The coach was equipped with power supply for laptops and mobile phones. And there was wireless Internet connection too! So cool! The scenery along the journey was breathtaking. We saw acres and acres of green fields and there were sheep everywhere.
On the way back, we took the same train. This time we dined on the train and the three-course dinner was superb.
At King's Cross station, we saw Platform 9 3/4. We couldn't get past the wall because we were muggles. But the trolley managed to get half-way in. :D
At Newcastle, we stayed in a flat that overlooked a grave yard. I can assure you that it was not a nice scenery. Dominic did not get his own cot, so he slept in between SM and I. I think he enjoyed sharing the bed with us. Dominic also did not have his baby bath tub, so he had to bathe in the adult tub. We took a photo of that, but unfortunately SM lost it.
Newcastle was a very nice place. We walked around the city and went sightseeing. We took a day-trip to Alnwick to visit the Alnwick Castle, which is well known as the Harry Potter's Hogwarts School. The castle looked huge from the outside but it was mostly green field behind the walls. The rooms were small and I was disappointed that we did not see the bedrooms, etc where the family of the Duke of Northumberland supposed to have lived. It is now a museum showcasing historical artifacts such as items used during the war, ancient transportation, etc ... most of it were boring stuffs. But it was interesting to know that throughout the 700 years, the castle had been used as shelter, a university and a home.
