Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt



Saturday 30th of July

08.30 We have woken up after a night at the Bel Reve Hotel in Blackpool. What is really the best? At home or away? Same old routines or new routines? Right now I don't know. The room was cramped but it was possible to sleep here. Unfortunately the website resedagboken.cc is still dead and we probably won't get a solution to the problem until we get home from the trip.

09.21 Again and again we think about how it works with the check-out where we live. Rooms and check-out methods vary a lot.

09.56 Now we have the answer to our question. We just had to leave the keys on a small piece of furniture in the hall/entrance. Now we're off to see what Blackpool has to offer. We arrived so late yesterday that we didn't have time to see much then.

10.12 What has been offered in Blackpool so far is cloudy weather, a few people on the move, horse-drawn carriages that nobody wants to ride and a beach where nobody swims. Piers jut out into the sea from the beach. A little further inland, you can see a tower, Blackpool Tower, which was once the tallest of the British Empire. Blackpool is certainly a holiday paradise but not today. Rain and strong winds make it less pleasant.

10.22 We walked up to Blackpool North Pier. We photographed the Blackpool War Memorial and an interesting statue depicting a mermaid who appears to have stepped out of the sea. It's called Call of the Sea and it's fairly new. It was set up here last summer.

10.40 Tired of the uninspiring gray weather and tired of carrying our bags around, we have landed inside a well-visited Costa Coffee on Church Street. To the coffee, there will be a cookie each. We are sitting here waiting for the time when our bus will depart.

Blackpool Beach.

Nice pink carriages but no one wants to use them.

Blackpool North Pier.

The Blackpool Tower.

Blackpool War Memorial.

The Call of the Sea statue from 2021.

11.28 There's no sun in sight here in Blackpool. We have instead entered a bus from Stagecoach that will take us on to Preston. We hope the weather can be a little better there.

11.47 Our bus glides through the Lancashire countryside. Despite all the cities in this part of England, there is still room for a bit of peasant life too.

12.07 The dull weather is staying out there. Something that is more positive is that the end goal Preston is getting closer.

13.01 After many stops at bus stops and red lights, we finally arrived at the bus station in Preston. Now we just need to get some snacks before we head towards the hotel, which is conveniently located right next to the bus station. Check-in is reportedly from 2pm. Preston is the administrative center here in Lancashire and has a population of 147,835 people.

13.16 We waited a while inside the bus station because of the rain but then got out into the streets of Preston. We have been in the area around Preston Market and the big Harris Museum.

14.10 After a short walk, continued photography of the city and some shopping at Greggs, we are now in room 420 at the Holiday Inn here in Preston. A nice girl assisted at check-in and convinced us to register with IHG Hotels for future visits to Holiday Inn hotels. Will there be any?

15.00 We have a great view from our room and look out over a gray Preston with continued rain and are happy about the decision not to watch any football today. Now we're going to drink some coffee in the room before we return out for the afternoon and evening's adventure.

Birley Street, Blackpool.

Some cows in the Lancashire countryside.

Preston Bus Station.

Harris Museum, Preston.

Friargate, Preston.

Preston Minster.

Holiday Inn, Preston.

15.53 We are back at the nearby bus station. Even though we are not going to visit a football match in Blackburn as we had planned, we are still going to carry out the planned evening tour to two other cities here in Lancashire. First we will take the bus to Blackburn.

16.04 It got messy when we were going to buy tickets. Christer has bought a day ticket and I a one-way ticket. Christer was adviced by the driver that it was better and I missed that information when Christer told me. To get all the way to Burnley, I therefore have to buy another one-way ticket. Christer doesn't need to do that.

17.00 This will be a new city for us. We are within a few minutes in Blackburn. The weather is just as boring here.

17.15 Now this is starting to feel like routine and almost a tradition here in England. We have photographed the city's statues and also a cathedral. Blackburn with a population of 105,085 is one of many similar cities in North West England with a history as an industrial city. During the 18th century, Blackburn became the center of Britain's cotton industry.

17.40 The stay here in Blackburn has been characterized by a problem of an everyday nature, lack of toilets. The bus station has none and a mall just closed. We get to visit a toilet in the next town instead.

17.55 So we leave Blackburn with the next bus. A bus was kindly waiting for us when we arrived at the bus station. Incidentally, Blackburn Rovers won the match we didn´t watch. It was 1-0 against the London team Queens Park Rangers. The football season starts extra early this year as there will be a break in December when the World Cup in Qatar will take place.

18.58 The bus just dropped anchor at Burnley Bus Station and we started walking. Happy we walked the short distance to Turf Moor, the home ground of Burnley Football Club. Now it's time for dinner at Turkish Best Kebab (https://turkishbestkebab.com), a restaurant at an intersection near the football stadium.

Queen Victoria at the back of Blackburn Cathedral.

Blackburn Cathedral.

Darwen Street, Blackburn.

Weird art outside Blackburn Market.

We have arrived at Burnley.

Turf Moor, Burnley FC play here.

19.31 The restaurant seems to function mostly as a takeaway but we found a table where we could eat our kebabs. It turned out to be very good. Behind us some of the staff tried to stack pizza boxes but managed to tear everything down. Now we will take a longer walk towards the next railway station.

19.45 We have walked along Sean Dyche Way, a road named after Burnley's successful coach Sean Dyche who managed to keep the club in the Premier League for many seasons despite limited resources. However, it did not succeed last season when the club was relegated and Sean Dyche was forced to leave his job. We have also seen a place where you can hand in your knives, swords and machetes. We had nothing to contribute.

19.54 The city center was quiet, to say the least. Much was closed and there were few people in motion. Burnley, which is about three miles north of Manchester, has 94,721 inhabitants. Just like in the neighboring cities, there are a lot of different types of industries here.

20.03 Not much is happening at Burnley Central railway station either. Even the ticket machine seems to be working. It reacted tough and sluggish.

20.27 Our Northern Railway train has arrived. Now we're heading home to Preston.

21.10 Now we are back in Preston. On the train we were joined by some older ladies with a high alcohol content. No, but look, it's raining! A correction, it's pouring rain! A bad news is that our hotel is on the other side of the city center. In any case, we will shop along the way. It's not raining inside the shops anyway.

Turkish Best Kebab, our place for Saturday dinner.

Peter is having dinner from a styrofoam box.

Football coach Sean Dyche has his own street in Burnley.

We had nothing with us to leave here.

It's empty in the center of Burnley.

Brun is not one of the world's largest rivers.

We are waiting for the train that will take us from Burnley to Preston.

22.06 On the way home to the hotel, both good and bad things happened. On the good side, we count that we got breakfast at Sainsbury's Local. On the bad side, we have to count the rain and the fact that I misjudged a dark curb, tripped and landed on my knees.

22.45 As compensation for the sore knees and probably something else, I just took a bath here in our hotel room.

23.43 It has been an intense Saturday when we had time to look at four different cities. Too bad we had the weather against us. Soon tomorrow will be today and today will be yesterday.


Sunday 31st of July

07.37 Will I be able to eat something other than bedside breakfast when I get home? It has sort of become standard as a start to the day this summer. It's a real shame that it has to be so expensive to get a breakfast in most of the places we stay.

08.25 Suddenly it happens again! The time has come to open a door for the last time. It's time to leave yet another hotel and yet another city. Today we will leave Holiday Inn and Preston behind.

08.54 In the lift we were joined by a man with a rolling bag/cabin bag. He stepped into a bus from the Netherlands. We, however, continued on foot through a deserted Preston towards the railway station. We were recently struck by why, yes why, we haven't bought any travel drinks with us for the long train journey.

09.53 We have passed Blackburn again and now we are heading north.

10.22 The train, or more precisely the locomotive, is currently not moving. People stand, walk, sit and talk and other things. We all await the further departure. More and more people who seem to have booked themselves into some form of hiking get into our train car. Those responsible for the excursion seem to think that everyone in the carriage should go along. We have said no to maps with hiking trails etc.

10.48 The train now leaves the small town of Horton-in-Ribblesdale. We pass a beautiful landscape of rolling green hills, hills with grazing cattle. We are now in Yorkshire, more precisely in the area that belongs to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

11.37 It's still beautiful out there. I would enjoy living here, at least for a while.

A quiet Sunday morning in Preston.

Our train travels through a beautiful landscape.

A walking trail near Ribblehead.

Beautiful view from the train.

We have arrived in Carlisle.

Carlisle Railway Station.

11.50 Our website, resedagboken.cc, which has been in trouble for the past few days, has been closed for the time being. As previously mentioned, it is because the email address Christer stated at the start of the page's existence no longer exists. Christer has communicated this in good time to those who provide the site. Now there are some above these who have checked the validity of the address and closed the page until further notice. In order for it to be opened again, a form needs to be filled in and signed. In addition, some form of ID must be attached. What a mess! We cannot arrange this until we get home to Sweden. We don't have the time or opportunity to scan various documents now.

12.45 The train was left at Carlisle railway station and we went straight to Costa Coffee outside the station building. The sausage sandwiches are out of stock here, so it was bacon sandwiches today.

13.59 After waiting in the lobby and then outside room 101 we are now inside our room at The County Hotel (https://www.countycarlisle.com). The cleaning lady had to hurry to get ready. Why didn't they let us wait in the lobby instead? This is the second time we have stayed at The County Hotel this summer. The hotel in London was also called that.

14.22 We have a large good room but the view could have been better. We have a view towards the back of some restaurants where the staff are taking their smoke breaks.

15.03 In less than two hours, the ladies Euro 2022 final between England and Germany kicks off. Before that, we should have seen more of Carlisle, which is only 13 kilometers from the border with Scotland. We are in the county of Cumbria in North West England. The city has a long history due to its location on the border between England and Scotland. The Romans started building a wooden fort here as early as 72 or 73. Today there are 75,712 inhabitants in Carlisle.

15.24 So far on our walk through the city we have seen The Citadel, a war memorial and the Guildhall Museum. The sky is getting filled with clouds.

15.44 After seeing the beautiful Carlisle Cathedral we are now at the castle (Carlisle Castle). We're not going to go in. It costs money. The castle has stood here since 1093 and has had strategic importance in feuds between England and Scotland.

Christer visits Costa Coffee in Court Square.

Another word of wisdom about coffee.

The Citadel, Carlisle.

The County Hotel, Carlisle.

Market Square with Market Cross Monument.

Grass animals at Castle Street.

16.30 As two different branches of Greggs were closed, we went to Poundland instead to buy a snack. We also bought juice and something good for the football match we intend to watch later. We are now sitting on a bench in Bitts Park and enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon.

17.27 We have walked back to the hotel. There is a smell of food in our room. It comes from the restaurants we have outside our room window. Speaking of food, there are few grocery stores in the immediate area. In the final between England and Germany, we're halfway into the first half and it's still 0-0. The match is played at Wembley in London.

18.07 The second half of the goalless match has started. We drink coffee and eat the fruit cake we bought at Poundland.

18.22 After a quick turn of the game and a chip, it is no longer goalless. It's 1-0 to England. Ella Toone has scored the goal.

18.38 Now the lionesses must score a goal again. The Germans have just equalized through Lina Magull.

18.57 Extra time will soon begin.

19.14 Not much has happened so far. We are a quarter away from victory for someone or there will be penalties for both.

19.25 England regain the lead after a corner. Chloe Kelly pokes the ball in and takes off her shirt.

Carlisle Cathedral.

Carlisle Castle.

We rest in Bitts Park.

The Bridge over the River Eden.

Tonight we eat at Shaha Tandoori.

Christer is eating Indian dinner this Sunday.

19.38 England wins and national team captain Sarina Wiegman defends her European Championship gold from 2017. At the time, she was national team captain for her home country the Netherlands. There were 87,192 in the audience. It is an audience record in European football, both on the women's and men's side. Fantastic! However, the victory here in Carlisle is not so noticeable.

20.20 Now it's time for us to have dinner. It will be Indian food at Shaha Tandoori (https://www.shahatandoori.co.uk). Christer will eat the Mixed Biryani and I will try the Bollywood special with rice.

21.01 It was good without anything extra. We missed the classic Indian spice mix. Sure, my food sometimes heated up, but overall it was tame. The dinner was also disturbed by some guests from Newcastle who were, to say the least, loud at their table.

21.45 Now we have taken an evening walk to Co-op Food on Denton Street, the only grocery store that is open reasonably central in the city. Ahead of us in line was a man with a fishing rod. Who brings a rod to the Co-op or any other grocery store? Here at home, we now just have to wait for the night and for a new week and month to begin.


Monday 1st of August

08.50 To celebrate that it is a new month and a new week, we have slept extra longer this morning. Also, there is no panic. It's two hours until the train leaves here in Carlisle. For being so centrally located and having such good rooms, The County Hotel is unexpectedly cheap. There is not much logic in what our rooms cost this summer. In Manchester and Liverpool we have stayed cheaply in nice hotels, but in some other cities we have hardly been able to afford to spend the night at all.

09.27 It's nice to have a calm morning. It is not part of the routine during this intense journey.

09.59 How time flies. If we're going to catch the train, we'll probably have to pick up the pace. It's easy to get lazy when you have plenty of time.

10.41 Number 101 has been changed to number 5. From room to platform it is sometimes fast, especially when you spend the night right next to the railway station. There were no problems with the ticket collection. Now we are ready to head east.

10.49 Fellow passengers with and without headgear are looking for seats just to their liking and taste. Some travel light and others travel heavy. There is one who brings a bicycle. No animals have been targeted, but a dog got off the train when it entered the station. Today we travel with Northern Railway from Carlisle to Newcastle upon Tyne.

11.57 The train travels through a green tunnel, a tunnel of deciduous trees. Now we pass a small watercourse. Within half an hour we are off the train and moving around Newcastle on foot. At the moment we are homeless, in the borderland between check-out and check-in. Our train journey has run parallel to the wall that the Romans built between England and Scotland, Hadrian's Wall. However, we have not seen the wall.

Our train is entering Newcastle upon Tyne.

Peter has arrived in North East England.

The Catholic Saint Mary's Cathedral outside the railway station.

Durham Tower in part of the historic city wall.

Chinatown Archway.

St James' Park has a capacity of 52,405 spectators.

12.37 Since arriving here in Newcastle, we have seen and photographed some mixed sights. First we saw a cathedral, the Catholic St Mary's Cathedral just outside the railway station. Our walk then took us to the historic city wall which we then followed to a Chinese portal, the Chinatown Archway. From it we also have a nice view of the St James' Park football arena where Newcastle United play their home games. Beneath it is an underground station with a connection to rivals Sunderland's home ground, the Stadium of Light a few miles to the south.

13.12 The Costa Coffee we intended to visit showed no signs of being open. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any activity whatsoever in the big house that Costa is in. Instead, we've moved our bodies and bags from the city wall to a younger wall closer to the football arena. Here on the wall, a man is sitting and talking on the phone. Unfortunately, he also smokes, which means that we will soon move on from here.

13.20 Before we left St James' Park, we took some photographs and looked at some statues. Once again we have seen Sir Bobby Robson in stone version. Even the goalscorers Alan Shearer and Jackie Milburn stand here outside the stadium.

13.36 After a bit of walking here and there, we eventually arrived at Haymarket Metro station and photographed the beautiful St Thomas Church. Now we move towards coffee.

13.52 Last year and also the year before that, we had navigation support from Ruth, the speaking voice in Google Maps. This year, it is Google Maps without a talking guide that stands up and helps us. We have found another one of Newcastle's branches of Costa Coffee. We are on the Northumberland Street shopping street.

14.31 Caffeinated and energized, we are now ready to find our next hotel. It has become so late that we are probably allowed to check in as soon as we get there.

Newcastle United sportswear and souvenir shop.

Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer outside St James' Park.

Shearer's Bar is owned by Newcastle United and is named after the player Alan Shearer.

The city's tasty beer.

Saint Thomas Church, Newcastle upon Tyne.

A one-legged man makes his way down Northumberland Street.

14.45 On the way to the hotel, we have stopped at the Metro station Central Station on Grainger Street. There are various interesting sculptures here. The artwork is called Man with Potential Selves and shows the same man in different positions. He both stands, walks and floats.

15.06 Now we are in room 450 at the big, grand Royal Station Hotel (https://www.royalstationhotel.com) outside the railway station here in Newcastle. It's a big room at a really good price. Only the bathroom feels bigger than several rooms we had earlier during the summer. Again, it seems difficult to understand the logic regarding the prices for the rooms. At least this time it's in our favour.

16.16 When you're in the town where John Gregg started the Greggs bakery in 1939 and opened the first store in 1951, you can't miss going there and buying snacks. We have just enjoyed juice and the cheese and ham baguettes we bought with us on the way to the hotel.

16.52 We have made a plan for what to see and where to go during the afternoon and evening. First, however, we will have a cup of coffee in this room. The city has a lot to offer. Newcastle on the River Tyne is the largest city in North-East England and has 300,125 inhabitants.

17.26 Now we have to start gathering ourselves. We have a lot more to do here. Just drinking coffee is only for the moment.

18.13 After seeing the beautiful Anglican cathedral (The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas) and the not so beautiful castle (Newcastle Castle) which gave Newcastle its name, we are now at the High Level Bridge. A bus just hit it.

Gray Street and the monument with Earl Gray on top.

St John the Baptist Church.

One of the sculptures in the art project Man with Potential Selves.

Royal Station Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Peter writes in the journal in the hotel room.

The stairwell in the Royal Station Hotel.

18.18 It is a steep slope down towards the river but luckily we have found a handy staircase to force the level difference.

18.25 We are now heading out on the Swing Bridge over the River Tyne. The Swing Bridge opened in 1876 and was the largest of its kind when it was built. It gets its name from the fact that it can be opened to let boats through. There are many bridges over the river. All are unique with their architecture and their own degree of beauty. There is a bridge for everyone, regardless of taste. The bridges have slightly different functions as well. Some you walk over, others receive cars and some trains run on them.

18.42 We have been met and passed by joggers of different genders and ages as we walk along the river. Just passed a man who we thought said Tjena killar! in Swedish. He must have said something completely different. We are now sandwiched between the Millenium Bridge and the Tyne Bridge. Earlier we saw the restaurant called Träkol on the other side of the river. It is a little unclear why they chose a Swedish word for their restaurant. On the other side of the River Tyne, it's not really Newcastle anymore. There is instead Gateshead, known from athletics competitions if we remember correctly.

18.59 Our riverside walk ended at the Millennium Bridge. We will now try to find a sensible way back towards the center where we hope to find a dinner restaurant.

19.24 A long and winding walk past streets, stairs and viaducts has brought us to Saint Nicholas Square. Here stands Queen Victoria's statue in front of the cathedral.

The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas.

Christ on St Nicholas Street.

This castle has given Newcastle its name.

High Level Bridge over the River Tyne.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

Christer by the River Tyne.

19.47 It's a terrible thing to do.., can be heard right now in the speakers. It is not clear what it is that is terrible. We have escaped from a rain that has started to fall and are inside the hamburger restaurant Meat:Stack (https://www.meat-stack.com). I may have managed to order a small hamburger once more. However, a good beer is included. For those interested, it's an Alpha Delta Brewing Meat Shack Pale.

20.41 The beer and burger were top notch, perhaps the very best burger and beer so far on the trip. Before going home, we bought evening snacks and breakfast at Tesco Express. The payment was by self-scanning. I was allowed to buy beer without an adult clerk confirming that it was OK. It can be seen as a success.

20.50 It was a quick walk home. The rain poured down and in parts we had to take shelter under a roof so as not to get completely drenched.

22.06 Tomorrow's trips and activities are planned while we watch TV in this room. From home we are reached by the news that Minister of Integration, Sports and Migration Anders Ygeman wants to see a restriction on non-Nordic citizens. Before the election, everyone seems to be trying to imitate the Sweden Democrats. Is it really a recipe for success?

22.45 The city's own beer, Newcastle Brown Ale is enjoyed while we watch a summary from today's Commonwealth Games from Birmingham. Tomorrow we start traveling south again.

We intend to have dinner here tonight.

Peter visits Meat:Stack.


Tuesday 2nd of August

07.48 Our bathroom here at the Royal Station Hotel is, as I said, large and the shower is quite lovely. Today is a week until the journey home to Sweden begins. This journey, which for a while felt endless, also has an end. To begin with, we will check out and leave our current home, Newcastle upon Tyne.

08.44 No, now I have to get started and unpack again what I unpacked. Our tour in England will continue even today.

09.27 Christer and I have again made ourselves ready to travel, ready to be transported again. Today, it will be a slightly more unusual form of transport to begin with. We will be traveling with the Tyne and Wear Metro which is the subway system that connects Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and some other towns in the surrounding area.

09.43 It pings before the metro starts. We have gone underground at the Central Station outside our hotel. Now we leave Newcastle for the first destination of the day.

10.02 The metro train eventually came out of the underground and now looks more like a commuter train. The landscape is agrarian and is sometimes broken by towns where the train stops. Right now it has stopped in Seaburn, a suburb of Sunderland.

10.06 We have passed the Stadium of Light station and have also glimpsed the football stadium with the same name. Built in 1997, it has a capacity of 49,000 and is home to the club Sunderland AFC.

10.10 We have arrived in Sunderland, 16 kilometers south-east of Newcastle, and should not actually start the stay with a visit to Costa Coffee.

10.14 Sunderland doesn't really have any sights, but we'll take a little morning walk to see what pops up. The city has a population of 170,134 and is located in the historic county of Durham. In the modern world, it is rather included in the region of Tyne & Wear, named after the area's two rivers.

Sunderland Museum.

A walrus in the middle of Sunderland.

Well-kept flowerbeds in the park.

Mowbray Park, Sunderland.

In memory of the victims who died in Victoria Hall 16 June 1883.

On the bus on the way to Durham.

10.22 In beautiful Mowbray Park there are birds, grass, trees and a memorial to the 183 victims who were killed in the Victoria Hall riots on 16 June 1883. On 16 June 1883 a children's variety show was arranged with magic and conjuring. At the end of the show, it was announced that children with certain numbered tickets would receive a prize at the exit. At the same time, the entertainers started handing out gifts from the stage to the children. Many of the children were worried about missing out on the goodies and ran towards the stairs leading down. At the bottom of the stairs, the door opened inward and had only one opening just big enough for one child to pass through at a time. The children rushed down the stairs towards the door. Those at the front were trapped and crushed to death by the weight of the crowd behind them. After the incident, it was decided that doors can only be opened outwards for emergency exits.

11.30 There was, after all, a Costa Coffee visit again today, this time at Market Square here in Sunderland. At home in Sweden, Anders Ygeman's statement about the number of non-Nordic people has set off a debate. He doesn't get much support.

12.06 So we are back on the move with the help of public transport. We walked off to Sunderland Interchange bus station on Park Lane and waited for a bus bound for Durham.

12.43 After a bit of a wait, we had to drive out onto the A690 road. Our bus service is going well. Go North East is the name of today's bus company.

13.13 Our bus dropped us off at a stop along Millburngate. I am currently on a bridge in Durham, Framwellgate Bridge. Specifically, the bridge spans the River Wear. Here in the city, we charge for an hour or so before the next bus trip. We would have been even better if we just didn't have to carry our bags around. Durham with a population of 49,887 is a pretty little town that has a castle, a cathedral and a university. The city was already founded in the year 995.

13.35 We have left the city streets and walked along the Riverside Walk parallel to the river. Here we rest on a bench and enjoy the greenery and nature around us.

13.54 A path through the forest, where you would otherwise find paths, led up steep slopes to the city's beautiful, UNESCO-listed cathedral (Durham Cathedral). A short distance away is Durham Castle, which is also on the same UNESCO list. The castle was built in the early 11th century to protect the Bishop of Durham from attack. Today, universities are still up here. Now we sit on a low wall to recharge before the walk back towards the city center.

Framwellgate Bridge, Durham.

Durham Castle.

The River Wear runs through Durham.

The River Wear flows through Durham and continues north towards Sunderland.

Durham Cathedral.

Christer at Palace Green in Durham.

14.15 On our walk down from Palace Green by the cathedral and castle we have stopped at a square, Durham Market Place. It has various statues and a church, Saint Nicholas' Church. Somewhere in the square, a girl is heard singing Shallow, the song originally performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

14.25 We have stopped at a shopping centre, Riverwalk. No, we're not going shopping. Here in the outer part of the mall there is the possibility of free toilet visits and a nice view of the river and the city.

14.39 Now there are times of waiting for us, a wait for a bus that will take us to the city of the evening. We are standing at a stop along Millburngate.

14.47 The Arriva Bus employed bus driver will take us south to Middlesbrough. It's hot in the bus.

16.04 The promised free WiFi connection in the bus is under all criticism and simply non-existent. The bus journey itself is just fine.

16.14 Hooray, we've finally arrived in Middlesbrough. Now we need to find a Greggs store to get some baguettes and some kind of WiFi connection so that Christer can get in touch with our future host and say that we will be arriving shortly and ready to check in. Middlesbrough is the largest city in the area around the River Tees known as Teesside. The other major town in the area is Stockton-on-Tees which we passed on the bus on the way here. Middlesbrough has 143,734 inhabitants and is a fairly new city. It was only in 1829 that a group of businessmen bought plots of land in the area to create a port for e.g. coal. Before that there wasn't much here in northernmost Yorkshire.

Durham Market Place.

Middlesbrough Bus Station.

Captain Cook´s Square, Middlesbrough.

Middlesbrough Town Hall.

Lower Lake in Albert Park.

Chadwick Guesthouse, Middlesbrough.

16.40 At Greggs we got to buy what we wanted, a snack for the arrival to the next room. The host is contacted via a city network which gives us free internet in the centre. We have announced that we should arrive around 5.30 pm. It is a long walk before we reach our guesthouse.

16.58 So far here in the city we have seen Middlesbrough Town Hall and Teesside University. It is noticeable that the city is newer than many others we have visited. Here there are surfaces and space in a completely different way than in the small, cramped cities we are used to visiting.

17.14 There is little internet connection so we do not know what the host has replied. Hopefully our message got through. It is email that applies, we do not have a phone number unfortunately. What we do know right now is that we are sitting on a bench by the Lower Lake in Albert Park and that we will soon be heading towards check-in.

17.44 We have now checked in at Chadwick Guesthouse (https://www.chadwicksguesthouse.com) on Clairville Road. Our Italian host has informed us about everything bee needs to know. 07.00-08.00, that's when breakfast is served here tomorrow morning. Early yes, but the fact that it is included is a plus. Middlesbrough is a windy city, at least today. There are strong gusts of wind from time to time.

19.00 The water boils in the room's kettle. It's time to drink some coffee again.

19.25 Two unwashed coffee cups have been put away. Soon we will go out to see more of the city, to have dinner and do some shopping.

Peter is ready to go for an evening walk.

Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough.

Simple but cheap dinner at Antalya Shawarma.

War hero Stanley Hollis is remembered in his hometown.

Middlesbrough is a spacious city.

Evening stroll through Albert Park.

19.38 We don't really know where we're going to eat tonight's dinner, but one thing is certain, it won't be near our accommodation. There are basically no restaurants there. We are targeting a street full of restaurants and have checked out some possible options there.

20.07 When we got to Linthorpe Road it was more complicated than we thought. The whole street was a road work and partially closed. New asphalt was to be laid. We arrived at the BBQ House restaurant just as they were about to close. The opening hours we found on the internet did not match at all. Across the street we have the simple restaurant Antalya Shawarma. It may become our backup option.

20.36 It was a cheap, simple but still good dinner. Before going home, various drinks were bought at the Tesco Express store. We also passed the Ayresome Gardens park. Ayresome Park used to be located in this very area, the football arena where Middlesbrough FC played from 1903 to 1995. Nowadays, the club is based down by the River Tees at the new Riverside Stadium, which was built in 1994. The reason for the move was that standing places were banned in elite football stadiums. Ayresome Park was one of the stadiums used during the 1966 FIFA World Cup. It was here that North Korea beat Italy 1-0, one of the most unexpected results in World Cup history.

21.05 The way home back to Chadwick Guesthouse went through the large Albert Park.

22.28 It's another evening when we tinker with making ticket purchases, tickets to be picked up at a railway station tomorrow afternoon.

23.12 Soon we should be sleeping. It's early breakfast tomorrow morning.


VIDEOS


You can see 81 photos from July 30 in this photoalbum.
You can see 69 photos from July 31 in this photoalbum.
You can see 90 photos from August 1 in this photoalbum.
You can see 79 photos from August 2 in this photoalbum.


CONTINUE


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