Saturday 7th June

Dottie was out and about early yesterday , and she visited the SAGE at Gateshead.
The Sage Gateshead is an amazing home for live music designed by Lord Foster on a landmark waterfront site, consisting of outstanding performance spaces of acoustic excellence (Hall One and Hall Two), Northern Rock Foundation Hall for rehearsal and performance, a twenty-five room Music Education Centre, ExploreMusic (a music information resource centre run by Gateshead Libraries and Arts in the Joan and Margaret Halbert Space), The Barbour Room (a sunny entertainment room), plus four bars, The Michael Straker Café and a brasserie. You can visit the building free - up to 14 hours a day. The spectacular Concourse has river views of the Tyne and Gateshead Millennium Bridges, BALTIC and the NewcastleGateshead Quays.
Its architecture is exciting and dramatic - the first building for the performing arts designed by Norman Foster's architectural team, Foster and Partners - one of today's most admired international architectural practices.
Right next to the SAGE, she next went to the Baltic Gallery,
Housed in a landmark industrial building on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, BALTIC is the biggest gallery of its kind in the world – presenting a dynamic, diverse and international programme of contemporary visual art.
BALTIC has no permanent collection, providing instead an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and activities that give a unique and compelling insight into contemporary artistic practice. The BALTIC programme ranges from blockbuster exhibitions to innovative new work and projects created by artists working within the local community.
BALTIC is a place where visitors can experience innovative and provocative new art, relax, have fun, learn and discover fresh ideas.
Next on the list was to walk across the Millenium Bridge and she got a fantastic view of the Newcastles Tyne Bridge from there.
The Tyne Bridge is a bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, and was built by Dorman Long and Co. of Middlesbrough. It was officially opened on 10 October 1928 by King George V. It is a fine example of a Compression arch suspended-deck bridge.