I took a couple of days off work[1] and decided to use one of them (Monday 14 March, if you really want to know… ) to take a longish walk around Newcastle. I had a good look around the always lovely Laing Art Gallery and the Discovery Museum, which I hadn’t been to for over a year. And while I was wandering around, I took a few pictures.
I walked across the High Level Bridge, which is currently closed to traffic while the wooden deck under the road surface is replaced. As the bridge is a Grade I listed building, it has to be restored with original materials. This is what lies under the tarmac road surface:
Looking across from the bridge, I got this picture of a former warehouse which now contains some of Newcastle’s most outrageously expensive apartments.
When I reached the Laing, I took a closer look at the Blue Carpet. This is one of Newcastle’s many public artworks - it’s a public square covered with this blue tiling. What I’d never noticed before (and I’ve seen it many times) was that a corner of the “carpet” is slightly folded:
On my way to Discovery, I passed this interesting sculpture thingy, which I’d somehow managed to not notice previously:
Finally, I remembered to take a look at the new Chinese Arch, which was completed for the Chinese New Year recently. It’s a lot bigger than I was expecting:
I couldn’t get a full shot from the front without playing with the traffic, so here’s a shot from behind:
There are some really nifty lions at the foot of the arch:
And finally, I had to include this, to maintain my geek credentials. The publicity for the new Doctor Who series is everywhere. TV teasers, magazine articles, even ads on 6 Music. And posters:
[1] Has to be done now and then to preserve what’s left of my sanity
Thursday, 31st March 2005 7:13 pm