In keeping with our history of weird sleeping arrangements, our cabin had bunk beds. Which was okay since a real bed wouldn't have actually fit in there.
We boarded this ship in IJmuiden on Sunday evening. On Monday morning we arrived in the port in England and hopped a bus to Newcastle.
Our first stop was the Discovery Museum. There were some interesting exhibits on the history of Newcastle and quite a bit on maritime history. I was a little disappointed because a ton of the exhibits were being refurbished for their anniversary celebration in July, but the admission was free so I can't complain too much.
After we were done with the museum, we walked over to the Grainger Market. This market opened in 1835 and is one of the biggest indoor markets in the country. They had lots of food stalls with tempting looking treats, and a book stall with some dirt cheap paperback books. I got a couple to read on the boat. I hate how expensive books are in The Netherlands. It's not even just that English books cost a fortune, the Dutch books are just as expensive!
Most of the geocaches in Newcastle were micros (usually just a logbook in a film cannister) but we decided we ought to do one there just to say we did! We ended up walking down a very steep hill and then back up approximately 7283 stairs. I was rather thankful they weren't Dutch stairs, because I probably would've died right then and there!
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering about, finding a bite to eat, and enjoying ourselves.
The bus picked us up and took us back to the port on Monday night where we set sail to come back home! It was a quick little trip, but I really enjoyed myself and I hope we do something similar again.
Also, I now FINALLY can say that I've been to England! I don't really count the time I sprinted through Heathrow to catch my connection.
