Newcastle!

I left for Newcastle on Monday evening with little expectations... I had booked this trip in such a hurry that I didn't have time to think about it! :) The flight took about an hour from Amsterdam. I arrived without issue, and quickly found a very kind taxi driver named Keith to take me to my hotel.




As we drove into the city, I was expecting (okay, I guess I did have expectations) a tired, industrial city. What I found instead was a charming city with several beautiful bridges crossing the Tyne River, along with various gorgeous churches, and, of course, being England, their local football (read: soccer) team's stadium. My hotel had a beautiful view of the city, and, believe it or not, I didn't take any pictures!! At 8:00 that evening, Kevin, the merchandising director, picked me up for a dinner at an old monastery, which is also thought to be the oldest restaurant in Europe. It was very charming, and the food was great. I got to meet one of the other employees that I would be working with the next day at dinner that night, and we had a great chat, because we were all runners. :) When runners get together, you better hope you are a runner too, because the conversation quickly turns to a boring string of numbers, splits, race experiences, etc - all of which are facsinating for runners and boring as hell for those that are not! :) I tried a local dish at the restaurant, which I couldnt' pass up because of the name - bubble and squeak. Basically, it's potatoes with cabbage, but I like calling it bubble and squeak better. :)



After a nice evening, I had a great night's rest, and then woke early in the morning so I could go for a run along the Tyne River. The weather was great for a morning run, and I really enjoyed getting in an outdoor run, as I've been running inside on a treadmill for the past couple of weeks. My new friend Keith the taxi driver picked me up and took me to the office, where I quickly learned why the British are known for drinking tea - I drank no less than 7 cups of tea at work that day! Every time I was done with one cup, someone else was coming around with a tray, asking if I'd like another cup of tea. Why, of course! :) It was a really great team, and I feel like my meetings went really well. It's always fun to see a new city, and after just a small taste of this one, I can't wait to go back.



Did I mention Keith? Well, that friendly guy picked me up again at work and took me back to the airport. I think he liked having guaranteed fares for a few days, and I enjoyed having a familiar face to talk to. We talked about everything under the sun during our ride to the airport. The most striking thing - his knowledge of American politics. Thankfully, I knew who the UK Prime Minister is right now (Gordon Brown), but I don't even know what party he's from! This taxi driver knew ALL about American politics, and had a very keen interest in my thoughts as an American. I better read up! :)



Here are some pictures of the city that I downloaded since I didn't think of picking up my camera:






Countdown to Italy: 3 Days. Sean arrives on Saturday morning, and we are taking off that evening for Rome. I've been looking forward to this for months! Hope it's worth all the hype! :)