Day 8: The Coast of Britain, as seen from Newcastle

22%?!  Who the F makes a fifth of vodka and waters it down to 22%?!

I tried to budget a little more creatively by buying a fifth of vodka and lemonade (they don't have sprite here, and lemonade is actually a mix between sprite and soda water.  Just WONDERFUL with vodka).  Mr. Nalgene was my friend up until I casually glanced at the label of this crap bottle and caught the number.  So much for getting "your cheapest vodka, please" from the store.

Went for a run through the amazing wildlife of Leazes Park, through both universities (only 5 minutes apart from each other.  weird), the Civic Centre, the Quay, the Monument, then finally back home.  Phew!  I'm loving the location of the Albatross Hostel each passing day.  Just no friggin' breakfast?  Good Lord.

Took the metro (first time here, so walkable!) to the coast in the East where the Tyne river gently ebbs out into the North Sea, and checked out all the small pocket towns dotted along the coast.  I smiled ear to ear, realizing I haven't seen the ocean in over 4 years.  Started in North Shields (kinda crummy), but got to the Fish Quay.  Not too much going on, so I walked to the free passenger ferry across the river to South Shields, but having to wait a long-ass time for the next one to arrive meant my ass was long-gone. I supposedly missed some resort beaches.  Woop dee doo.  Plenty of time for that on this trip.  ;)

Metro'd over to Tynemouth, and checked out the cool Priory and Castle overlooking the ocean.  Really cool, but I was saving the alleged £5 entry fee for the awesome Blue Reef Aquarium.  No offense, but it looked like ruins of an old priory.  And what it lacks in outward appearances certainly doesn't make it up with the ruined interiors, too.  (it was all open air).

The Blue Reef Aquarium was wonderful, not child-like at all (the main problem with these natural history museums).  Otters are my new favorite mammals.  Those sons-a-bitches are crazy, swimming and diving and dodging and flipping with effortless grace.  Finished with a huge walk-through underwater tunnel with all sorts of aquatic fauna.  Sharks and stingrays and all sorts of little fish.  I mentally included it in my dream home design.

Metro'd to the last little city on the coast, Whitley Bay, and it has lots of little bars and clubs along the cliff-side beach.  Not much to see, so I went back to Newcastle and booked a bus and hostel to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Can't wait!  I think I'll have a more fun time there as the hostel has mixed dorms and nightly pub crawls.  Oh, and the city is "very walkable" according to the guidebook.

Bar scene in Newcastle has to be experienced to be believed.  There's more pubs per square mile here than anywhere in the world, supposedly.  And the hostel was right in the middle of it.  Oh well, you win some and you win some, right?  :)