Wednesday 20th July 2016
Good morning lovelies! It’s Wednesday which means it’s time for a new blog post from yours truly, your favourite pink tutu wearing ballerina! I'm writing to you from Vienna, Austria. Oh, I love this city, I really do!
For this trip I have a rather extravagant costume: my Vienna waltz tutu! I am, after all, in Vienna, and my pink tulle is positively dancing to the waltz rhythms that have flowed through the city for generations. And isn't pink such a perfect colour for a waltz - it's elegant and feminine and, of course, very, very pretty. My Vienna waltz tutu is actually a vintage design from the 1950s, made of silk and silk-trimmed lace with a layer of tulle underneath and finished off with a ribbon. I feel truly lovely when I am wearing it. It's just the ticket for exploring the Viennese palaces, or for enjoying a coffee and apple strudel in a cafe or a glass of sparkling wine in a wine bar (after a successful ballet performance, naturally.) It's so fabulous I just can’t help dancing along the streets - after all, this is Vienna, where dance is a way of life!
It's been a wonderful week exploring Vienna, and discovering this fascinating city from a tutu wearing ballerina’s perspective. I thought I'd give you a taste of my time here - just to whet your appetite!
Vienna has an utterly magical air, which I felt the moment my train arrived at the station. The Austrian capital just oozes sophistication.
My travelogue starts in the historic heart of Vienna, a stone's throw from Vienna’s beautiful opera house. I must confess, I find opera houses to be very exciting places; after all, opera was the place where tutus really made their mark in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. You see, tutus have always been seen as the epitome of elegance. For me, there's something absolutely spellbinding about a building designed to showcase a form of art which uses so much emotion.
Here, it's all about history and culture - the magnificent architecture and a plethora of cultural and historical gems like the Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace, where, by chance, I stumbled across a beautiful display of historical costumes - including a beautiful selection of ballet costumes - many in tulle, some very similar in style to my 'Vienna Waltz' tutu. It was an absolute treasure trove, like stepping back into time!
Of course, I simply had to sample Viennese culture. The most delicious thing I have found is Vienna’s signature dessert: the divine Sacher Torte! It's a truly delicious dark chocolate sponge cake filled with apricot jam and finished off with chocolate icing. Oh my goodness - you have got to try one - or two!
The city's other culinary delights, too, have made my time in Vienna unforgettable - the pastries, the Viennese coffee, the Schnitzel...and that amazing Sachertorte! Oh, and it wouldn't be Vienna without some dancing.
Vienna is known as the City of Music, and the people of Vienna truly do adore their music and the arts. They even have music kiosks scattered around the city where musicians perform beautifully. There's classical music being performed just about everywhere you turn - I feel so spoiled and I love being able to walk around town to the strains of waltzes or opera. As a ballerina, the beauty of it all is that I have been swept up by it and inspired to practice my own ballet skills here, both in a lovely, local studio and even out on the street, amongst the graceful waltz rhythms! Of course, there have been lots of moments where I just stand and watch and just soak in the beauty of the waltzes - oh, the costumes are divine!
There have been some wonderful performances here during my trip. I've seen everything from operas in Vienna's opera house to folk dance troupes performing in the beautiful squares, or on the stage in the theatre - I must say, they always know how to make a good tutu really come to life.
Vienna is just one of the amazing destinations on my ballet-inspired adventure tour. In just a few short days I am hopping onto a train, travelling through a kaleidoscope of European countries: Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France - I plan to take in ballet performances, ballet classes, museums, and shopping - the ballet culture is rich, the dresses and costumes are fabulous - I am so excited to experience all this and learn so much from the European ballerinas in these places - how inspiring!
What about you lovelies? Where are you going to see ballet performances, ballet classes and other events this month? Please let me know - it would be fabulous to get your suggestions on places to go and things to see and do and of course, what tutu I should wear! I hope to inspire more of you to join in my campaign and get more of us to wear our fabulous tutus, as a little touch of pink, beauty, elegance and fun. The campaign is certainly going very well. If you see me out there dancing and wearing pink, come and say "Hello!" and do share a "selfie" with me on my blog.
Take care my lovelies and do remember "Dance on and dream on!".
Emma
www.pink-tutu.com
(This blog post was a request, not an endorsement of the above, and it is a fictional blog entry.)
