It dawned a nice sunny Saturday, not that any of us saw the sun rise. Mr Sun gets up very very early in summertime England. Sister 1 suggesting we take an outing to Whitley Bay and have some lunch at a cafe within the Spanish City. Neither she nor her partner had been there before. While it was wonderfully sunny, it was not really warm. While the large cafe where we lunched was well staffed, I can't say it was good value or recommend it.
We entered via the main doors into a reception area where you gather before entering a wedding or party event space. I'm sure the space was very nice. The Spanish City building was pretty well abandoned for eighteen years.
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The old W.D. & H.O. Wills cigarette factory, now repurposed as many have given up their addictive vice.
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I see from the coats that people were wearing in that photo that it was pretty chilly that day. A typical Spring up here then!
ReplyDeleteYes JayCee, there was a stiff breeze too.
DeleteYou packed a lot into that trip. Which is lovely.
ReplyDeleteEC, it did not seem like to me. There was a lot of sitting around chatting or staring at a screen of some kind.
DeleteYou certainly made the most of your trip.
ReplyDeleteJB, pretty well one thing a day is our rule, but that was breached during our visit.
DeleteR seems to have loads of relatives there. The weather looked good. Lucky you are not there now in the heatwave.
ReplyDeleteDiane, in the heat England is just awful. We experienced that in 2019 and we nearly died in the heat.
DeleteThe decor inside Spanish City is just exquisite. The dog welcome sign is humorous.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, thanks. I should have taken more photos.
DeleteYou went out with a bang? Do you mean they stuffed you in an old cannon and lit the fuse?
ReplyDeleteYP, it could have just been as simple as something happening in a dark lane.
DeleteHow did you go out with a bang? Did you bring a well behaved dog and then yourself misbehave?
ReplyDeleteStrayer, I have been known to misbehave, but not with a dog in tow.
DeleteWhat was the fag factory repurposed as? A prison?
ReplyDeleteCaro, your Google is broken? Ok, mine is working. Luxury apartments facing the street. Cheap seats built in behind.
DeleteI like that light fitting. Had to laugh at you driving instead of walking for those few minutes. I know it's easier for both of you though. Too bad about lunch not meeting expectations, you didn't visit a hellish cafe worthy of a Gordon Ramsay visit I hope.
ReplyDeleteRiver, we would have but Sister 1's partner uses a walking stick and it was better to drive. No, the cafe wasn't terrible but did not meet our modest standards.
DeleteSpanish City looks good, love the photo of it at night.
ReplyDeleteI would have taken the car too instead of walking.
Margaret, there is no end of places in England to take your money, and locals seem to have an adequate supply of money. Yes, with one person on a walking stick, the car was the best, although he could have used his portable motorised scooter.
DeleteI've lost count of the number of R's cousins you have visited. He obviously belongs to such a close family. Trying to recall my cousins they would number around 40 plus but I have no idea where they all are now.
ReplyDeleteMarie, some of his cousins who we met did not know R's immediate family. It was all about FaceBook connections. He has unknown cousins in Saskatchewan too. I only have three cousins, who I don't really know.
DeleteI am an orphan regarding family. On my mother's side they are all dead or I don't know them and on my father's side I never knew anybody he had a fight with his siblings about the house of my grandma. I am like Marie, I get lost with all the cousins etc. lol
ReplyDeleteNo surprise that you get lost with R's cousins. I put some effort into knowing who they all are. I am custodian of my mother's family memories, but no one is interested.
DeleteThank you. I don't think I have ever heard of Spanish City in Whitley Bay but it does look delightful. If I ever marry again and want to do it in the North East, I will drop you a note.
ReplyDeleteI'll be there at your second wedding Hels. Will you marry a Geordie? The town does have a good university.
DeleteI have a small family, all of that time with family, I would need a holiday to recover.
ReplyDeleteOnce home TP, I am on an almost permeant holiday.
DeleteSpanish City -- I didn't know such a thing existed.
ReplyDeleteSteve, you need to head north. It is rather nice and while we there, the weather was better than in London.
DeleteGlad you're having a lovely time. 'Well-behaved owners'. Heh.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Past tense for when we were there Sandra, and yes, cool sign.
DeleteIf you hadn't said it was a cigarette factory, I would have thought it was a school.
ReplyDeleteKirk, you made me think. Quite a number of large buildings in The North looked like schools but weren't.
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