Farewell, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Hello, Whitby

 

As our "long-stay" (almost 2 weeks!) in Newcastle we were ready to move on. Actually, more than ready; it was a nice town but we all wanted to go sailing again. On our last morning we were greeted with a ridiculously long line of visitors waiting to come aboard: 

The first few hours were really busy!

And that busy day ended with a glorious double rainbow off our bow.

I finally got my own picture of the unique engineering of the arching opening bridge:

I took this photo from the quarterdeck! Old meets new, again.

The view upriver (looking towards town) from the balcony off the Zona Noble

It was just a short day sail to our next town; we left on the tide at 6 AM and arrived in the afternoon.

We motored past the working, industrial section of the river

Ruins of a 12-th century abbey on the hill gave the town "atmosphere"

You might have to look closely, but the river was packed with people to welcome us! We fired a few cannon shots

In the light air, we flew our biggest Spanish flag for a while. 

We sell a few passages where people can sail with us for a leg of the voyage. They act as trainee crew, not passengers -- they bunk with us, eat with us, and stand watches. We teach them to steer the ship and climb the rigging. We had a local "Jack Sparrow" join us on this leg. He had a great deal of fun as we came into town past the crowds, yelling to his mates ashore.

And once again, we got a mention on the local BBC News. The article included some great pictures of our arrival from land, worth following the link to check out.

Playing Pirate -- Another Free Life Lesson Along with Your Tour of the Galeon, No Extra Charge

 

Some of our visitors come motivated by a curiosity about history; admittedly some just come to take a few selfies and move on. And of course we get lots of people cosplaying pirates. I have two standing thoughts about those: one, that in a world where many peoples' jobs involve sitting in a gray-walled cubicle staring at a computer screen, the romance of a swashbuckling rebel on the high seas is a profound counterpoint; and two, that I turn it into a teaching moment -- we're not a pirate ship, we'd be a pirate target. We're hard to maneuver, lightly armed, travel a predictable route, and when you see this profile you know we're loaded with valuable goods. That's why we travel in convoys escorted by the navy, those faster, heavily armed vessels. And pirates wouldn't want our boat, it's too big and too slow and takes too much crew. They want something small and nimble that can attack and then tuck into the shallows where the bigger ships can't follow. 

Mostly, though, I profess delight when people dress up to visit us, though I'm quick to inwardly categorize people that seem to be dressed with an intent at historical accuracy versus those I call "polyester pirates" in caractureish costumes from the party store. 

I’m normally a bit skeptical about the “polyester pirates” — they normally come aboard only for the selfies, say “aaargh” a lot, and might be drunk. These two visitors that came on our second-to-last day in Newcastle were different: polite, respectful, knowledgeable and wanting to learn more. They had a number of tattoos including matching tattoos of an anchor with a trailing coil of chain at the base of the thumb on each of their hands. They told me that these were their wedding ink, and showed me that when they hold hands, the two together make a heart. (I can be so sentimental about that stuff!)

Preconceptions and generalizations can be useful; we should, after all, learn from our experiences. However these two “polyester pirates” reminded me not to let those preconceptions close us off to seeing what’s actually right in front of you: be ready, always, for reality to surprise and delight you. (Free life lessons along with your tour of El Galeon, no extra charge.)

The "polyester pirates" who I really enjoyed chatting with, and made me rethink my assumptions

On their own, each of them seems to have a simple anchor tattoo, but put together when they're holding hands, the ink tells its own story

And speaking of playing pirate -- we had a "Jack Sparrow" lookalike visit us in every single port! I'd have a running bet, will we have one here? And then in the next port I'd double-or-nothing. I kept winning, and accumulated an entire album of photographic proof in my phone. Here are just a few: 

The "Jack Sparrow" from Poole

The "Jack Sparrow" from Yarmouth

The "Jack Sparrow" from Newcastle

The "Jack Sparrow" from Plymouth, one of the times I was also dressed pirate instead of my crew jacket

Another selfie with "Jack Sparrow"

The "Jack Sparrow" from the festival at Delfzijl

Seeing the Ordinary Through "New Eyes"

 "If your only tool is a hammer, all problems look like nails." 

This was a common quip in the task force I worked in in the mid-aughts, on science and public policy (and how to get more science into policy, a notion that seems sadly quaint here in 2025). In that group we talked a lot about how the answer you get, depends on how you frame the question, and the lens through which the person answering sees the world. Here's an example I gave in 2009: If the question is, "How do we reduce dependence on foreign oil for transportation?" and you ask a geologist, the answer you get will involve oil drilling in Alaska or the Gulf. If you ask an engineer, you might get more efficient cars or electric cars. If you ask a social scientist, you might get work-from-home and/or public transit. (Weird to see how prophetic some pieces of this turned out!) 

I was reminded of this "lens" thing by a beautiful meme a friend posted on my timeline: 

"Travel does this also," I replied. Or being accompanied by a curious 4-year-old kid. It always amazes me when visitors to the ship ask questions about things that never noticed, because they’re so familiar that after a while you just stop seeing them. Forcing myself into the frame of mind to set up that tour for the blind visitors a couple of weeks ago was definitely a recent example for me. 

So, speaking of things that are so familiar that after a while you just stop seeing them, I'll admit that's true for me. My "everyday life" traveling the world as a crew member on a tall ship, is someone else's "once in a lifetime" joining a short leg of that trip, as a former captain reminded me.  And while we were in Newcastle, I got to be on the receiving end of that seeing-the-familiar-with-new-eyes thing. 

An oldie-but-goodie: me, just doing my everyday job back in 2017, helming a "pirate ship" through New York City, chatting with the pilot, while a musician records a video on the foredeck.

I SAW THREE SHIPS Piano/Violin Pirate Adventure Sailing on El Galeon Through NYC

Got to chatting with one of the visitors, who told me that since we were interested in history, did we know that Hadrian's Wall ran right through his town? We'd learned on our visit to Newcastle Castle that it defended the northern border of the Roman Empire in England, but somehow failed to make the connection that the wall was connected to a line of castles and forts. Two thousand years ago the Romans built a barrier to defend the northern border of their empire. It stretched completely across Britain from coast to coast (Irish Sea to North Sea; 75 miles) and in places was as much as 3 meters/10 feet thick and 12 feet high. Massive undertaking, all by hand of course. With incredible generosity, he offered to take us to see some sections of it that are still standing, just hanging out in ordinary neighborhoods that people drive past every day and don’t even notice. How could we not agree to take advantage of that offer? 

A chunk of 2,000-year-old Wall, just existing; no big deal, no fences, no signage. Note people parking or driving by on the parallel road, or walking along the sidewalks.  

Another section at least had an explanatory plaque.

Another section, again unmarked and unnoticed.

This section totally floored me. If we hadn't had a guide, I would have dismissed this as an ordinary retention pond in a suburban neighborhood.

To me, the whole thing was just another example of how tremendously different our travels were, coming into towns a crew on this most unusual tall ship; than had we simply been "retired people traveling in a minivan." And the lovely gentleman who gave us his entire afternoon wouldn't even let us buy him so much as a cup of coffee afterwards in thanks.

The "Bubble" of Perfect Weather (?)

 

When we were full-time cruising I joked that we lived in a bubble of 25 degrees C, moving north in the summer and south in the winter. It was actually somewhat disorienting; the back of my mind lost track of what month it was because we were always warm. It was always June in my world. We'd say we timed our travel to never be north of where/when the azaleas were in bloom. After our long-distance cruising days, I was somewhat looking forward to staying in one place and getting reacquainted with the rhythm of the seasons. (Well, Covid lockdowns somewhat changed that calculus, but still.)  But, ah, the irony: Here we are in northern Europe, in JULY, dressed for the chill. And the back of my mind still doesn’t know what month it is, maybe March?  

Notice the warm hats -- admittedly the locals tell us this is an unusually chilly summer.

The "Situation" with the Ramp and the Tide, Managed

 

Remember that crazy steep impassible gangplank due to the tides I posted about earlier? And said it wasn't a "problem," just a "situation" to be managed? Here's the solution: the biggest fender I’ve ever seen, being towed to the ship by dinghy; and then FOUR of those fenders in place, keeping us off the concrete dock to allow the ramp to have a gentler slope.

The fender is as big as the 2-person rubber dinghy that's towing it!

The new giant fender in place, really dwarfing our normal fenders (the row of round black balls above it are each about a meter in diameter!) They're "defensas" in Spanish, and I think "defenses" are a great name for fenders.

A person of normal agility would easily be able to come aboard now.

Newcastle Castle and Cathedral (photo dump 2 of 2)

 

Newcastle Castle! When we were in Colorado I remember anything more than 100 years old being considered “historic.” Here in England they don’t blink until it’s a THOUSAND years old! And that's the "new" castle; I'm not sure where/what the "old" castle was... This castle is considered one of the best examples of Norman stone carving. It was pretty much the northern extent of England in its time (Scotland just across the border.) The view from the top was fantastic. (For some reason Blogger insisted on posting these photos in reverse order except for the first one, sorry.)

The castle does lose some context surrounded by modern roads and pavement. In my childhood mind's eye castles were huge and imposing.

Chain mail display in the Great Hall.

The decorative stone carving in the chapel is remarkable, but again we don't know what is original and what was later embellishment.

Spiral stairs! Memories of the St Augustine light house. But these stone stairs are far more irregular. Can you imagine a medieval knight running up these in full armour? We were hanging on firmly to the rail even in our jeans and modern shoes. Very irregular spacing and uneven surfaces, yikes.

I’m not sure what the story is behind these stones. The pattern of dots looks too intentional to be a side product of the quarrying process.(Which one park staffer suggested; another thought it was an embellishment added during Victorian times.)

Rooftop view in the other direction, toward the cathedral we visited after the castle

View from the rooftop. The low bridge toward the right side is a swing bridge on the site of a long-ago Roman bridge, that would have been made of wood atop stone pillars.

The Grand Hall

First view of the castle, walking up the steps from the Tyne River

Th doors to enter into the Great Hall. There’s a simpler smaller door for everyday, this is for those who need to make a grander entrance. We learned how very big a deal hierarchies were in the Middle Ages

After the castle, we made our way across to the cathedral. I suspect between the two they pretty much defined the center of life in the middle ages.

Informative panel about the 900-year-old church.

The intricacy of the carving and artwork was remarkable. How many years of effort must this have taken? Admittedly I compared it to the humbleness of the ordinary person's dwelling of the day, and even of the castle, and wondered about priorities and misplaced effort.

More intricate carving, this time of marble.

The organ; somehow the vertical pipes brought to mind ... 

... the vertical lines of this structure on the Galeon for hoisting the mainsail. (Maybe my own kind of religion?)

I'm admittedly non-religious and skeptical of organized religion and churches in general but was impressed by the welcoming nature of this grand cathedral; in the corner you can see the sleeping bag of a homeless person who has taken shelter here.

We visited at the end of June so this Pride conversation was displayed in one area. The sign referred to "all our identities" and (ouch!) the "regressive" policies in the US. I was pleasantly surprised to find the church more inclusive than I would have expected from this institution.

My favourite plaque of all! A feminist in the 1600s. "If all men are born free," she asks, "how is it that all women are born slaves?" That she was educated in this church at a time when most women, in fact many people, were not, counts for a lot, and that she expressed this sentiment was remarkable to me. All in all I had a much more favourable view of this church after our visit. 

Scotland (a Quick Weekend Getaway)

 

Objectively, there was no particular reason we should be intrigued by Scotland. None of our ancestors came from there, it wasn't the setting for any book or series we were obsessed by, nor the music or art or food or anything else. And yet ... when we had 2 days off together and learned that Edinburgh was just a 2-hour train ride from where the Galeon was docked, we immediately booked the train, packed our backpacks and walking shoes and off we went! No reason to pass up an adventure if one was available.

Edinburgh was amazing. The server at the coffee shop where we had brunch asked us if we were enjoying Scotland and we told her we’ve been here about two hours now and so far so good. 😉 Pix include some random street scenes, a busker on every corner (playing bagpipes obvs), and the castle built on a volcanic core, making a dramatically steep and easily defensible location. A wee sip of single-malt was in our future that evening. (The accents here are so incredibly musical)

Random street scene; love the architecture!

This monument and public garden/park greeted us almost as soon as we got off the train.

Behind the fountain is the castle, high and defensible on the core of an old volcano

Buskers playing bagpipes on every corner. Also, Edinburgh is steep and hilly. Either a very long walk around a road with hairpins, or get used to stairs!

I have a jigsaw puzzle of Victoria Street; at the time I got it I had no idea that I'd walk the real thing, near our hotel.

The "back" side of the castle

There really were buskers playing bagpipes everywhere! (We loved it!)

  

I had taken to keeping all the small coins (equivalent of dimes and quarters) from our tips in one pocket and just casually grabbing a small fistful and tossing it into the instrument cases of the street performers. This guy invited me to take a selfie after I did. 

Every food we wanted to taste in Edinburgh started with the letter “S” — scones, smoked salmon, and single-malt scotch. 3 for 3. (Haggis wasn’t on the list after I googled the ingredients.) The 4th pic is the pub we ate at, with live Celtic music.

There was a bakery across the street from the train station where we could taste the first "S" food on our list. They offered a variety of scones both sweet and savory

Real smoked salmon

... and the third "S" -- single-malt Scotch. I could definitely get used to this.

The live music where we had dinner. That the musicians weren't on a stage but just gathered around a table may or may not have made for the best acoustics, but certainly helped the convivial atmosphere of the place.

We took a page from our fabulous travel planner Sydney at The Boho Traveller and booked ourselves into a nicer hotel at a great location and paid upgrade for a view of the castle. After two months of the rather Spartan living conditions on the ship, we figured we needed a bit of luxury.

The room included a full, but compact, kitchen ...

... and a bed with very lush bedding

Best of all, here's the view out the window, of Edinburgh Castle!

Walking distance to all the coolest sites.

The "Grassmarket" is where all the coolest eating and drinking spots are. It's also the site where historically they held hangings.

The site's unpleasant history is referenced in the name of this pub (complete with nooses!). I preferred to think of it as getting every single sip (errr... "drop") of my scotch.

I snapped the name of this pub for our good friends Barb and Stew Hart.

One of the visitors to the ship warned us about overtourism in Edinburgh; he said we’d meet lots of tourists from the US and Asia but few locals. (Sadly true.) We took a day trip to Stirling, the historic capital. Like a mini-Edinburgh, the desk agent at our hotel told us, but uncrowded. Pix include some street scenes; the beautiful vistas (so many visitors to the ship ask me where my accent is from, and the resulting conversations brought Colorado to mind and make us miss the mountains); statue of Robert the Bruce in front of the castle  (1274-1329, king who led Scotland in fighting for independence from England and is regarded as a national hero). BTW the inept fitness tracker on our phones claimed we climbed a total of 7 flights of stairs this day. I’m looking at the vista, knowing we started at the bottom, and feeling definitely cheated. 😆

We went back to the bakery for another breakfast of scones; the umbrellas hanging on their ceiling were among the brightest colours we'd see all day. 

Scotland’s national flower is the thistle. Multiple varieties of this sturdy scrubby plant are everywhere. There’s a legend that a group of defending Scottish soldiers were sleeping and invaders were trying to sneak up on them. The assault was foiled when one of the ambushers stepped on a spiky thistle and let out a yelp of surprise and pain. Thus the lowly plant became a symbol of a grateful nation. (No real historical data to back it up but it’s a cute story, yes?) This sculpture is just outside the train station.

(Dan for scale; I like the way his rainjacket matches the door behind the thistle)

Finally, exhausted but happy, we caught the train back to Newcastle ... and got lost walking back to the ship from the train station! Good thing the next couple of days were work days, we needed the relative rest of routine after all that exploring.

Street view in Newcastle under the overpass for one of the many bridges

A street we got lost on trying to get back to the ship. With a steep hill at one end and a large river running down the middle of the town you'd think it would be impossible to get lost, but we managed. Chalk it up to exhaustion.