©IBKimage 2012

Two weeks ago today I awoke to early morning light and chirping birds outside of my ground floor, city bed and breakfast in Carlisle England. In the next two days we would walk the final miles  on the Hadrian’s Wall Path, and yet this particular morning I thought back to where the walk began – in Newcastle – at Wallsend . (Wall’s End ) In addition to touring the grounds and museum  of Segedunum, the most completely excavated Roman fort in Britain (circa 128 A.D.), lying at the eastern end of Hadrians Wall – and the beginning of our hike – we walked that first day along the river Tyne into Newcastle.

Today’s image is of the newest bridge crossing the river Tyne at Newcastle, a former shipbuilding colossus and world  coal provider, now trying to “repurpose” itself  as a smaller London Northeast and building Japanese cars for export all over Europe while now importing coal from China. Global is local or “Glocal” as one of my graduate school professors said.  Since there aren’t any major ships coming into this tidal river port now, the bridge is primarily opened for pleasure and excursion boat cruises.  It is a pedestrian bridge that connects two towns on the river, with a new modern art museum in an old granary and a regional entertainment venue (silver bubble in background) along the riverbank.  We were not there on the day they open the bridge for visitors, but imagine the front part opening up like the blinking of an eye.

Thoughts … Bridges can connect the old and the new; they can expose us to the unfamiliar of the familiar routine; they can inspire by the sheer beauty of their design and the skill needed to envision and create; they take us away from what we’ve known and found security in; they call us to new adventure, but only if we cross them and are open to the learning (often painful) along the way.

IBK