Newcastle is a beautiful city and they are very interested in tourism. They have a staff of trained volunteers helping with providing shuttle bus service to ship passengers by answering question on the bus and after getting off the bus. The city is quite pretty as can be seen in this photo of the Anglican Cathedral on the hill. It isn’t surprising to have a great city until we knew that this city is the world’s largest coal exporting port. I thought that would mean a dirty and perhaps dangerous port. But the city managers kept that part way away from the city and the passenger harbor. We could just barely see it in the distance.
Kathy and I had another free excursion booked but decided not to take yet another bus tour. At breakfast we talked briefly with the Viking Resident Historian. She was a native of Newcastle. She recommended we walk along the harbor area and go to or at least towards the lighthouse. That was what we did. And we went past the lighthouse all the way to the point. Along the way we saw the old Custom’s House which is now a hotel (photo). Then we happened across Fred and Ethel (another photo).
It was sunny and warm but we felt a need to walk. Plus the views were special.
This was the lighthouse taken from the point way past it. By the time we got back to the city center we had walked 12,000 steps and it was only noon. We thought about finding a good local restaurant but decided against it.
One more interesting photo taken during our long hike to the point. Don’t kids need No.2 pencils for school? I think Kathy found one. Perhaps it was just to big to bring home.
The tradition in Newcastle is to salute visiting cruise ships as they depart by blasting their cannon. The first shot is just when the bow of the ship passes a certain buoy. Then as the bow of the ship passes this same buoy, another blast. If the ship’s Captain toots his horn they blast a third shot. We were told not to worry they seldom hit the ship. This cannon was used during WWII against a Japanese submarine and they never hit it either. I was watching for the first shot but completely missed taking a photo. This was the second shot.
Johnson's Travel 