But in all seriousness, I do have at least one recent adventure which is noteworthy. Last Sunday, Tiz and I spent 3 hours each way on a bus between Edinburgh and Newcastle, the most northerly English city. We drove through the historic Scottish Borders region, and then the Northumberland National Park just over the border into England. An inch or two of snow covered the ground during most of our drive down, and it was beautiful in the midmorning sun. The Scottish Borders does not have the tall mountains, dramatic valleys or jagged coastline of the Highlands region, but the gentler hills and meandering streams nonetheless have their charms. It was a shame that the drive back was too dark to give us a second glance.
It was also a shame that Tiz and I only spent about 3.5 hours actually in Newcastle; it's known as the best nightlife city in the UK. But we were there for a purpose: to see a Newcastle United football (soccer) match (game). I have been a Newcastle supporter from across the Atlantic for about 4 years now, and my only previous visit to the UK came during the off-season, so this was my first ever match. It turned out to be a terrific match; our Senegalese striking duo had just returned from national team duties, and each scored a goal in a 2-1 victory over Birmingham-area team Aston Villa. I witnessed the famed British football/drinking culture, which was actually a bit milder than I expected due to regulations preventing drinking in the actual seating area. Yes, just about every man in the stadium went to the concourse for a pint (or 3) before kickoff and during halftime. I also witnessed the cursing and middle-finger waving directed at an Aston Villa player named Darren Bent, whose crime was having formerly played for rival Sunderland. All in all, it was a great experience, and I will most likely be going to another match.
Questions or comment are greatly appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment