Cutty Sark pub, Greenwich

I visited the Cutty Sark pub in Greenwich last week. It's on the Thames waterfront in full view of the O2 arena. It's a few minutes walk from the centre of Greenwich along the Thames Walk, or for cyclists the Thames Route. Most people were enjoying their drinks on the pavement at the front of the building overlooking the Thames. Inside there are plenty of period pieces such as the fireplace. There has been significant modernisation including an internal wooden staircase but generally it is a pleasant pub. Useful to visit if you are out for a riverside walk. We got the train from London Bridge to Greenwich. It takes only a few minutes.

Things to do in the North East no 2 - The Gateshead Summer Flower Show

The Gateshead Summer Flower Show is held at the Central Nursery on Whickham Highway in Gateshead every year on the weekend at the end of July/start of August. It is a craft show as well as flower and vegetables show. Plenty of trade exhibits as well. I visited this year (as I do every year). The above video was actually shot 2 years ago but the photos below are from this year.

This is a good event to pencil into your diary well in advance.

(Crafts exhibition)


(Taking a leak)


(Say it with flowers)


(Eye wateringly large onions in the vegetable show)

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

My home town of Gateshead has been growing as a tourist destination because of new facilities such as the Sage music hall as well as older attractions such as the historic Gibside estate. One newish site to see is the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It spans the Tyne and is known as the blinking eye because of its shape and the way it opens like an eyelid. Throughout the summer, it is opened at midday each day.

The following shot was taken from the river boat called the Fortuna on 7th July 2010. I was in the right spot at the right time, almost in the centre of the Tyne with the bridge fully open.




This shot was taken over two years ago from the top of the "Get Carter" Gateshead multi-storey car park. This view will not exist for much longer. The car park is being demolished.

On the road to Damascus

Not quite on the road, more like on the plane to Damascus, or at least I will be later this year. I have now booked a trip to Syria and Lebanon with Voyages Jules Verne. We have travelled with them before and have been quite satisfied with their service.

A link to details about the holiday is: http://www.vjv.com/destinations/middle-east/syria/restoration-story/

JVJ call it Restoration Story. We had a shortlist of two for our December travels. The other was Nepal and India. We eventually opted for Syria and Lebanon. It will be my 5th trip to the Middle East. I did Egypt in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and Jordan in 2008. As you will expect, I'm rather looking forward to this trip.

Fresco

I was in London last week on business and went to a new Italian restaurant near my flat in Crystal Palace. Fresco on Westow Hill Road, in the Upper Norwood "Triangle", opened less than a month ago. There's nothing massiely different about the menu but watch out for the size of the starters. They were on the large size, approaching that of a main course. That in itself was an indication of value for money. Generally, service was good, food was good. We opted not to have a dessert. We were too full by then.

Tynemouth Book Fair

Tynemouth Station hosts a number of different fairs, such as farmers' markets. Once every two months it has a book fair on a Sunday which is worth a visit, especially if you are into local history. It is an Aladdin's cave of books written about the North East, though there are plenty of other types of books as well. I was there on Sunday just gone.



The video above was shot in 2006 - which goes to show how long I have been frequenting the book fair. The station is a grand Victorian suburban commuter station which has seen better days. It's worth a visit in its won right. Some restoration work has been carried out, some still needs to be done.

Il Forno Restaurant, Tynemouth

One of my favourite restaurants in the North East is Il Forno in Tynemouth. It is based in the old waiting room of the Victorian Tynemouth Station so not only is the food good, but the location has some historical interest as well. That suits me fine as I am an historian and I meet up regularly with a group of historians to have lunch in Il Forno.



The menu is competitively priced, indeed, I would go as far as saying that given the quality of the food, they are undercharging. You can get a good quality 2 course meal for under £10. The wine obviously comes as extra.



If you are on Tyneside, pay this restaurant a visit. It is remarkably easy to get to it as Tynemouth Station is on the Metro system.