dance of a painted lady: Brief journeys - travelling is enriching and glamorous, isn't it?

This week I have been on the road. Or on the rails really, 'cause I travel mostly by train. As mentioned before, I love to travel and I often have to travel for work. This week I made my way up to the Northeast, to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

You might have heard the phrase, "taking coals to Newcastle"? Well this saying, apparently coined in the 16th century when the industry in Newcastle was based almost entirely on the coal mining, was integral to my impression of what the city would be like before I ever went there. An impression captured in the song It's Grim up North by the JAMS. Do you remember this? I remember the video especially just being so bleak (although I didn't realise until I went to check out the lyrics that Newcastle is not actually mentioned). Anyway, visually, in my mind's eye I imagined Newcastle like this:

And it's true that there is a lot of grey in Newcastle. On most of the occasions that I've visited the city (now numbering dozens) it has been overcast and a little brooding. Raining, threatening rain, or with rain clearing.... Grey? Yes. But bleak? No.

Top left - Centre for Life, Bottom left - The Sage, Gateshead quayside,
Top right - Angel of the North, Bottom right - Rain on the road.
All pictures above courtesy of Freefoto.com

Rather beautiful actually, isn't it? I think so. And I enjoy being able to see it in all its moods. So travel is enriching. Definitely.

Let me not suggest though that my experience of Newcastle is always pleasurable and I certainly wouldn't describe it as glamorous. When one travels for work, I think the reality for many is that it can become a blur of sitting on trains, or in planes, or on motorways, and of boring anonymous hotel rooms. For me, one of the worst things about travelling for work and staying away from home is summed up by this:

Even in England apparently a good cup of tea is not guaranteed. And you know how I love my tea!

On the upside, when I travel to Newcastle, I enjoy probably one of the shortest commutes to the office that anyone might ever have to make. This picture was taken from my hotel room window...