Today was not a particularly sunny day, but it was comfortable outside and it was not raining. The town of South Shields was all decked out with bunting, no doubt preparing for the approaching summer. The boardwalk, like many back home, had multiple food shops for ice cream and fish and chips as well as arcade and fair games.
We walked to the end of the pier where we found fishermen busy enjoying the day, and within the harbor people were practicing on small sail boats and sea kayaks. Deciding on our return to walk back along the beach and stick our toes in the water, our flip-flops were soon in our hands. The beaches are not the white sand that we are used to in the gulf, but they are still beautiful. The golden-yellow sand felt great on our feet, but the water was a wee bit chilly, and certainly not up to my standards of swimmable water.
After a delicious ice cream sandwich of sorts, we headed up to see a monument that provided excellent views. Although we are not totally confident in the purpose of the monument, it appears to have been built in the 1800s by the masons in honor of one of the earls that lived here. It provided for some lovely views and some much needed exercise.
This evening, Paul and Natalie treated us to a favorite English tradition: Sunday dinner. This is one of my favorite British traditions reminding me of our Thanksgiving meal with family, only this one happens nearly every Sunday. The meal is usually in the afternoon rather than being served as lunch or dinner. A Sunday dinner includes a roasted meat, roasted root vegetables, potatoes (often times in two different ways), and Yorkshire pudding (a bowl-shaped roll). They prepared a delicious meal for us and we loved being part of the Sunday traditions here.
Natalie and Paul have been very gracious hosts: opening their homes to us, showing us around, preparing lovely meals, but mostly sharing their time with us. What a joy it is to have friends in different places!
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