Tyger's tantrum

busking spot in city center
see all photos »

We arrived in Newcastle at dusk and proceeded into the city center to scout a good camping spot. As we stood on a busy street corner trying to decide which way would lead us to a safe night's sleep, Dave, a fellow traveler stopped to give us some advice. Maybe it was our exhausted blank stares that gave us away, or possibly the bikes packed with months worth of gear that gave us away as travelers, whatever the reason, we traded stories and Dave told us a good spot to sleep near the city center. We headed towards the town moor, stopping on the way to grab a bite to eat. As I waited hungrily for Tony's return I met Becky who bought us a nice hot dinner of Mickie D's, free food is the best way to go, mmmm GMO. After chatting for a bit Becky invited us to attend church with her at the Metro International Church, we accepted, not quite understanding what we'd gotten ourselves into. We slept soundly in the moor, noticed only by the resident cattle and the full moon. We made ourselves comfortable busking in the city center. Tony made quite a bit of money and I got some good poi tips from a Polish guy in Newcastle for work. Saturday we decided to see some sights and made our way to the Baltic museum where there were a couple modern art exhibits and a guy playing the bagpipes outside. We each took our turn trying to interpret the art while the other sat in the sun. Afterwards we set out in search of the Angel of the North. We reached her and were thoroughly impressed by her construction. We cycled back to the moor for another good nights sleep.

Angel of the North
see all photos »

Morning came and our biological clocks were off. Before we knew it we were late for church. I texted Becky with my apology only to receive a reply saying we weren't too late after all. We stashed our bikes in a back room and found a couple seats in the congregation. The church was comprised of young upper-middle class families. The service ensued and I was astounded at some of the materialistic, consumerism messages that were prevalent through the preacher’s sermon. I sat quietly, at times covering my mouth to hide my astonishment and Tony and I were summoned to the front to "let Jesus into our hearts". Let's just say I used my skills of silence well during this experience. I've recently become curious about religion and what hole it fills for people that has allowed it to survive all these thousands of years. The MCI was definitely a modern take on spirituality that seemed to justify the current lifestyle and set everybody's worries at ease about climate change and taking responsibility for the future. It was a good experience, no doubt, if for nothing else that to show me a different side of religion. After the service was over Tony and I talked to some young women our age about the church and religion in general. We were invited to somebody's house for lunch and enjoyed enormous amounts of free food and some good conversation.

Newcastle upon Tyne
see all photos »

We escaped the religious sector and found ourselves a good camping spot in Heaton Park in Newcastle. Tony went out in search of a good meal, he returned with hot food and a new friend. Richard is a man in his mid to late 30's that had been a band roadie for the majority of his life. Currently he is out of work and living on disability due to his MS, he is incredibly high energy and loves to tell stories and let you listen to him talk. We sat in a parking lot listening to music and stories until both Tony and I were exhausted. We retreated to our campsite, set up tent and slept well. We were greeted in the morning by a makeshift breakfast provided by the entirety of Rich's kitchen, all of which had been moved from his house into the back of his car. We sat around in the sun for a while and eventually said goodbye to our new friend and biked away in search of a bike shop.

Tony and the Fat House
see all photos »

Some quick filler information - Tony rode a three-speed Dutch cruiser that he bought in Amsterdam that is named Tyger. Until the flat outside of York, Tyger had never had a problem; her tires had endured over 5,000 miles and were wearing a bit thin. We had hopes of finding Tyger a new back tire, seeing as how it was VERY thin and in dire need of replacement. The back tire supported almost the entirety of the weight of Tony and his gear, so the front tire was in wonderful condition

We found a bike shop near the angel of the north that claimed to have a tire that would fit. We left the bike overnight at the Low fell Bike Shop in Gateshead England and hiked ourselves and our stuff to the Angel of the North where we slept for the night. We returned the next day around noon only to find out that the tire did not fit and the mechanic was exploring his newfound hatred for Dutch bikes. After some coaxing, Tony convinced the guy to switch the front and back tires so we could squeeze a few more hundred miles out of the bike. With an extra set of hands the mechanic finished the job and vowed to never work on Dutch bikes again, saying Tyger should be put in a museum and Tony should get a real bike. We rode away, tired of Newcastle and ready to be on the road again.