Last weekend I went to Manchester to celebrate my friend Emily's 22nd birthday. Whenever I do something particularly fun I like to write it up as a blog post, firstly, to look back on in the future, and secondly, to share it with all of you. So, if you're interested, read on!
I got into Doncaster a little earlier than the others so spent some time people watching - it war Pride weekend (who knew Donny even had Pride?) so there were lots of colourful people about and the whole LNER team were dolled up in glitter and rainbow print! As much as I know that LNER's endorsement of Pride is mainly to benefit them as a company, it was still lovely to see them supporting it and made the train station quite a hub for activity.
The girls arrived with ten minutes to spare before the train (in classic Emily style, though this time I don't think it was her fault) and like a flash, we were on our first leg of the journey.
We got to Sheffield with ease but our second train had been cancelled so we had a bit of time to kill, which we used to buy sandwiches and cocktail cans from M&S.
As you can see, our second journey wasn't quite as cushy as the first. We had to stand for the entire fifty minutes, squashed by the doorway near some loved up couple and lots of bored commuters. We made the best of the situation though and as you can see, Em kept smiling despite the heat and lack of hand rails! I've been friends with Emily since college, it's ironic actually, because we didn't have any lessons together and only started to hang out because of mutual pals. Yet, here we are, five years later and still going strong! We were saying this weekend how we've always had so much in common - mainly "white girl" interests like cocktails, snow days and Netflix shows, but those things laid the foundations for our friendship, so don't knock them! I've seen quite a lot of Em this summer and I really hope we're able to keep that up once I go back to school in September, I see a lot of weekend lunch dates in our future - by the way, if you're reading this Em, let's go to Kitchen soon please? Their brie, bacon and cranberry is calling!
Anyway, that's enough of a shout-out for the birthday girl, back to our weekend away! Em and I roomed together while Megan and Ellie were next door. Us two managed to drink half a bottle of prosecco each while getting ready, and had unbelievably deep chats, it was like going back to my uni days! If you're interested, my jumpsuit is from the Curves range at New Look, and I'm pretty sure that Emily's dress is an ASOS buy. You'll probably remember that I bought my outfit for graduation and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling the way I looked that day. The heat was almost unbearable and i just felt sticky and uncomfortable, so I was reluctant to wear it on the night out in case I felt the same way. Luckily, I felt fine, and more importantly, very comfortable. That's key to enjoying a night out isn't it really, feeling confident, and I'm glad I'm in a place where I can do that!
I can't get over how short I look in this photo to the right though, I swear I'm almost 5"8, but this daddy long legs makes me look like an actual child when we stand side by side.Still, we were looking good and feeling good!
See, I look much taller when I'm on my own! These were taken just before we left the hotel - we stayed at the Ibis, the same hotel we stayed in with Selby College on our Munich trip, but this room was much nicer than that one was. I was very enthusiastic about the complimentary earplugs, though we didn't end up needing them. We were a short walk from the city centre, but far enough away from all of the hustle and bustle that it was really quiet - in fact, I think we were probably the rowdy lot, banging on each other's doors and stumbling in at 4am - we don't do it often, I promise.
One place I go go to often though is Revolution, and that's exactly where we ended up for our first few drinks and some food. We didn't really have a plan and spotted Revs while wandering about so shot in and got ourselves settled!
What's not to like about two-for-one drinks, hm? Although these guys did ask for lemonade, not tonic, so had to re-order (Em and I shared the tonic cocktails between us because the waitress left them on the table, rookie error).
Of course, Emily's got her bra out. We were also extremely back lit so our photo isn't as cute as Megan and Eleanor's, but I wanted to put it here for memories sake! Our drinks had just arrived at this point, I went for my new favourite, the Zombie, and Em had a raspberry mojito. We didn't end up buying any other drinks because of the tonic mishap, that meant we had a few to be going on with for free! Plus, we got sidetracked by the food. If you read my post-placement entries, you'll remember that I made the mistake of having a salad before a nightout in Lincoln and lived to regret it, but it tastes SO good I knew I had to go for it again. I was more sensible this time though and ordered a side of chips to go with it, this was a bloody good move. I know I always bang on about Revs, but I really do recommend it for people my age and especially students. It's one of those chains that are reliable, comfortable and affordable - similar to Spoons but slightly more fancy (only slightly I must admit), so if you have one in your uni city, make sure you give it a go! If you need anymore convincing, take a look at the pictures below 🤤
We spent a couple of hours in Revs and then headed out to a couple of others bars. Everywhere was pretty busy so we ended up outside, but to be honest, this wasn't a problem. It made for quite a good photo opportunity.
Looking cute, feeling cute... and a bit tipsy. For some reason I was drinking vodka and cranberry all night from this point on-wards? Oh, and I stirred it a bit too quickly and knocked one all over the table - but that's not important. I haven't drank vodka in so long, it was a staple of mine at uni, especially on a Tuesday night at Union! £2.00 doubles were the way forward, and my God I miss those days now. Saturday night definitely reminded me of my student life!
Finally, a photo of the four of us! It was beginning to look like we paired off a lot, but I swear we did spend most of the weekend together, rather than apart! I will admit that Emily and I are fast walkers though so trotted on ahead some of the time, sorry girls, we just have long legs!
How flat had my hair gone!? That's from dancing at Bierkeller!
Just like that, it was the morning after the night before. We were staying close to the gay village which by night was lively and exciting, and by day was rather picturesque! We strolled through here on our way to Spoons for a hearty, full-English breakfast.
Then, as soon as we were there, we were leaving. This memorial statue outside of the railway caught my eye and I noticed a few others admiring it as well. I did some research when I got home and found out that it was erected (grow up) in honour of and to commemorate the Manchester railwaymen who died in the First World War. The statue bears the title 'Victory Over Blindness' because it portrays men that have lost their sight (most probably due to tear gas) and reminds us that when we remember those who lost their lives, it would also be suitable to think of those who did return from the war, but whose lives had been changed forever due to their disabilities. I thought that was interesting and I hope you do too!
Anyway, after a busy weekend, we travelled home in near enough silence. Em and I had brought books for the train so spent our journey reading, a subtle reminder that we're not teenagers anymore and have in fact grown up (and become a little boring, but I rather enjoyed having a read, so no regrets.)
I hope you enjoyed looking through the photographs and having a little nosy into my weekend, it was great to get out of the house and have some fun, I dare say I won't be doing it again for a while! I'm now back in Hull, preparing my classroom ready for the September term and getting ready to be a teacher, so there are big things ahead in my career, but not so much in my personal life. Still, keep your eyes peeled for a few more posts because just lately I have a few bits and pieces I'd like to write on before I get too busy.
Thanks again for reading,
Jess 😊