Through New Eyes

From Facebook archives

20 January 2016

We showed our lovely Jamaican/Canadian/American friend Eli around today, as all he'd seen was the University, our house, the farm his flat and the Haymarket.  Fester is helping Eli with his PhD in Environmental Sciences.  

Such a treat to see the places we know and love through new eyes.

 

 

 

On the Quayside we spotted this cormorant eating a flounder it had just caught in the River Tyne. 

Something we would never have seen in the 70s when we came up to the University. Then if you fell in you died of poisoning and toxic shock not drowning. 

 

So whatever the powers that be say, pollution can be controlled and things can be brought back to nature and health.

Showing someone from ‘the New World’ around an ancient city is interesting.

In St Nicholas Cathedral we pointed out the memorials and the grave markers on the floor.

“They have dead people in here?!?”scandalised.

“Only rich ones.  They thought the closer they were to the altar the better their chances on Judgement Day.”

Then we went through the Black Gate round to the Keep “the castle Newcastle is named after”.

On the way we pointed out the oubliette.

“The what?”

“The oubliette.  It’s from the French to forget.  They threw people they didn’t like down there and left them to die.”

“They what now!?!”

“Well … it was a long time ago.”