Hello lovelies!
Well, Iāve just had the most glorious weekend away in the beautiful, historical city of Lancaster. Youāve got to admit it's pretty hard to beat a long weekend away in a new and exciting place with your bestie, Chloe.
As ever, Chloe and I started off our trip by arriving at the station in style, naturally! The station was teeming with excited, early-morning commuters ā none of them could quite figure out why Iād chosen to wear a dazzling pink tutu over my skinny jeans, but I have a feeling they all silently envied my inner (and outer) sunshine. š
Trains & Treats
Trains are always the most romantic way to travel. The clattering, rhythm of the wheels against the rails, the rolling green landscape passing by your window, and the cosy aroma of fresh tea and crumpets served in the buffet carā¦ It truly is the most relaxing and wonderful way to get around the UK! (Especially when you bring along a carefully curated book to read and a few delicious treats, and naturally, my lucky charm fluffy pink rabbit keyringā¦ the cutest!).
As always, Chloe insisted on our pre-departure treat, a āproperā cuppa from a classic British china teapot at the station cafe. We even got scones and clotted cream. I think the train guard probably assumed we were just on a day trip - he couldnāt possibly have known that we had a whole 48 hours to experience Lancaster in our very special pink tutu-fied way.
Exploring Lancaster
When we finally arrived in Lancaster, it was like stepping into a picture postcard! The city, nestled by the river Lune, just oozed history and charm. The famous castle was magnificent! Even though itās so historic, it still looked as though it was fit for a princess ā all grand towers, secret passages, and stories of battles long past. You wouldnāt believe what an excellent backdrop the castle provided for our post-castle photo session - oh, Iāll post those pictures laterā¦ You wonāt believe how beautiful they are!
Chloe and I were desperate for a quick snack and a bit of afternoon sunshine, so we hopped onto a little steam train ride that took us through a little forest and to a quaint little cafe, The Village Shop, where we indulged in delicious, homemade cakes and tea. You wouldn't believe how fluffy the cake was!
Lancaster truly is a place where old meets new, the beautiful traditional architecture of the city combined with the hustle and bustle of a modern and vibrant community. There were little antique shops that sold amazing vintage china and the most divine silver-topped walking sticks andā¦ oh, did I tell you about the absolutely amazing antique bookshop that Chloe swore I must buy from? After a little while spent flipping through some beautiful leatherbound classics and discovering dusty novels Iād never heard of, I decided I was in need of something a little more lighthearted ā so, I instead chose the cutest antique teacup and saucer with a fluffy, pink rabbit printed on the side. How could I resist? š
Chloe insisted we visit Lancaster Cathedral, even though neither of us are religious! It's really quite majestic - itās simply stunning. It made me want to be all dignified and serene, but as itās such a beautiful place and also a big space for photography (which I knew it would be) ā it had to be another fantastic backdrop for my fabulous pink tutu, Chloe was already making me pose against this wall, and that beautiful gothic arched windowā¦ Well, I couldn't say no. She got some absolutely amazing pictures. It was all very majesticā¦ just what you'd expect of a big beautiful cathedral - although my little pink tutu did rather stand out, as I'm sure you can imagine!
Chloe insisted we had to try their local Lancaster Brewery tour too. This involved walking through the most amazing dark brickwork and stone arched corridors - It looked like a film set. I could definitely have been mistaken for some kind of royal ballerina from the 1920s! š They showed us where the hops grow, what the beer is brewed in, and then finally, I think the best part - we had the chance to sample the real ale that theyād produced! Iāll be honest ā I am more of a ārosĆ© on the beach' girl ā and honestly, even Chloe was disappointed ā it tasted like something Iād find in my grandpaās basement, but I do have to give the place an āAā for effort, they certainly made the place look and feel very historical! I really did feel as though Iād just stepped back into the 1920sā¦ The staff dressed like their Victorian or medieval predecessors...
Chloe decided to do the local wildlife park - and as sheās got the biggest crush on otters (I do like the ones in those classy brown tweed jacketsā¦) Sheās decided to have a themed birthday party this year. As you can imagine, a lot of pink. Sheās determined to get her entire university class to dress in tutus, pink obviously, but that might be a bit too much, so itāll have to be either ballet shoes or a pink t-shirt, as she wants to get everyone to join her for a dance class after the party! She was pretty excited.
In fact, you might say Chloe is a real-life 'pink-tutu' enthusiast herself - she says that she doesnāt need her pink tutus for ballet classes - even though Iāve reminded her how much better a ballerina tutu looks when you're actually doing some ballet - but insists it's for 'confidence' and ābecause why notā... I know how that goes - sometimes we do things simply because they are fun. Anyway, she was even planning to get her little nephew dressed in a little, fluffy tutu - it'll definitely make the family party fun - especially if we put up those black and white chequerboard decorationsā¦ It would make a really striking picture!
The day finished with a fantastic dinner in an atmospheric little cafe we stumbled upon as we strolled down one of Lancaster's backstreets. The cafe had a wonderfully eclectic decor - even Chloe agreed it was pretty - it almost had the feel of an arts and craft space and felt very bohemian and eclectic, even down to the staff who, as I think it was supposed to, looked a bit like a lost troupe of gypsy performersā¦ but all decked out in bright colour combinations, in very obvious 'bohemian chic' style (even their hair extensions were quite theatrical), with colourful make-up that wouldnāt have looked out of place at Glastonbury Festival. It wasn't your usual high-street vibe, I think it was more than a bit intentional - we didnāt notice, for the longest time, that our 'waiters' had, I swear, got feathers and beads hanging from their long necklaces - the cafe definitely had an authentic look - or maybe we just imagined it - they must have got tired of that question after all these years - but I did get to ask where their outfits were from, though I did promise not to copy their look for Chloeās party. Itād be nice to look different, I told Chloe - after all, who wants to be known as a copycat? Especially for this trip!
Of course, after dinner we couldnāt possibly go to bed without a walk down the riverbank, soaking in the evening air and marveling at the beauty of the city bathed in moonlight! Just as we thought we had a truly idyllic night ā we encountered two young women in tutus performing a wonderful duet on a tiny, wooden stage on the riverside. The setting and the timing was quite magical - it was all so spontaneous, but definitely the highlight of the entire trip ā we definitely caught their entire performance. Chloe was convinced it was part of the castle events, but they couldnāt have been ā there wasnāt anything advertised like that. We did get to congratulate the girls and tell them how great it was! I thought we'd caught them just practicing - which was the original impression - so we said, 'It was really great guys'. One of the girls looked us dead in the eye and told us āyou should have heard it when it was just a simple rehearsalā. Well, if she thinks she's good at rehearsals... It really does make me wonder how many other incredible performers weāll see out in public - you just never knowā¦ But if we find another secret performance on my next trip, Chloe and I have decided that weāre going to have to come up with a fabulous, impromptu pink tutu act ā thereās going to be so much to see, who knows where else weāll find a performance of this sort, even at the train station for the journey home - Itās truly amazing what the magic of life and spontaneity brings ā I bet you couldnāt tell if youād have seen such an amazing, intimate, theatrical performance, you really never know when itāll crop upā¦
Fashion Tips
While it wouldn't be the 'in-thing' or a fashion 'must have' if I was looking at the glossy magazines ā I absolutely must say it was a joy to stand out from the crowd wearing my favourite pink tutu - we might get some funny looks - well at least I got the funny looks ā the girls got admiration (I might be exaggerating slightly). I got more than a few smiles and thumbs-ups as we made our way across the city - Chloe was already explaining what her new dress theme was, by the end of our trip. I told her we must do a pink tutu photoshoot for Chloe's graduation too - especially after that weekend ā Chloe's looking amazing, maybe itās all the balletā¦ š
This was a magical weekend that will definitely be forever etched in my memory - all I know is that there will be a pink tutu theme at the party ā after all, if I canāt persuade all my girlfriends to wear pink tutusā¦ At least I can do it in Lancaster ā right! So, be prepared girls! The pink tutu is coming to your nearest town - get ready for a whole lot of pink!
Thatās all for todayās blog - don't forget to visit www.pink-tutu.com tomorrow for another post!
Much love,
Emma xoxo
