Up at 6:00, showered and up to our last breakfast by 8:00. A busy day on board as the passengers who originally embarked at Newcastle are departing today, replaced by a fresh set of citizens anxious to taste the cultural Mecca that is the m/v Magellan.
Our final excursion today is to Durham Cathedral and Castle after a quick drive through of Newcastle Upon Tyne. We take a quick tour of Newcastle, and outside of town pass the immense "Angel of the North" sculpture, and then on to Durham. The town of Durham is about 35 minutes outside of Newcastle, and the cathedral was started in 1093, completed in 1133.
The tomb of St. Cuthbert, the great Saint of the north, who died in 687, is behind the high alter of the cathedral. Likewise the tomb of the Venerable Bede, who died in 735 is at another end of the cathedral. The building is huge, 470 feet overall, and the height of the interior central nave rises to 73 feet. Truly a magnificent structure that our 1 1/2 hour tour can barely touch. We walk to tour the area of Durham old central market for an hour before boarding our coach for the trip back to port, arriving around 2:00 PM.
The entire North Umbria territory is very scenic, and we think it may deserve a separate week of its own in our future. Time will tell.
Back on ship, we check email for the last time, pack our main bags and prepare for departure. We are hoping to depart tomorrow at 7:00 AM to catch our train from Dundee back to Edinburgh for our flight to Dublin. Tomorrow will be a long day.
Our final dinner aboard Magellan is enjoyable, saying farewell to new friends and thanking the staff that have been so welcoming. On to the final part of our adventure.
