Well would you believe when I went to manchester I found Mr Darcy? Thats right and I took him home with me. In the form of a bookmark of course...
Manchester what a city of deception. Everyone I spoke to when I said I was going up there to visit one of my closest friends brett they said be prepared for northerner hostility, of closed minds and backward ways.. it couldnt be further from the truth.
They also didnt mention that Manchester's edge flirts with the picturesque and breathtaking peak district which is the stuff of novels. Literally, Pride and Prejudice was based up there and both films were filmed there. At Lyme Park and Chatsworth House.
Brett and his boyfriend, being massive fans of pride and prejudice decided to take me out for a treat to view lyme park and the peak area. It was gorgeous, even during patches of rain and wind, it was stunning. The stone walls which border the gorgeous townships and country villages are reminiscent of every english country notion I could ever possibly summon, it spoke to my heart in every way imaginable and seemed to embody the spirit which is english tradition and england itself.
I fell in love with the area as I am seemingly tending to do with these gorgeous corners and little enclaves of england... walking through lyme park was surreal, I kept exepcting to see miss elizabeth bennet and mr darcy having a heated exhange in the manor gardens or by the lake. It was magical and I sighed thinking of the whimsical romatic ideal that Mr Darcy embodies.. that every girl dreams of meeting and having woo her,.. then i saw the bookmark with one of the famous quotes from the book
indulge me and let me share it - it says: " My real purpose was to see you and to judge whether I might ever hope to make you love me".. ahhh the stuff dreams are made of. So I snapped it up to use during all my reading over here and also a book on country customs and wisedom on things you must do.. lovely old wifetales and etc.. its lovely..
but the weekend didnt end there, we visited bakewell. the home of the infamous bakewell tart and enjoyed a bite before heading back to manchester. Brett and I explored castlefields, spinning fields, manchester piccadilly, took in the mamma mia movie (which is fantastic, we were singing the whole weekend and laughing at poor pierce brosnan who couldnt sing to save his life) the library, the museum and many other sights, i took in the manchester eye and also most interestingly, canal st or as it is well known - anal st... lol.. its the gay nightclub district of manchester which is massive up there. There are lots of same sex couples in manchester which I found lovely, it was so good to see, in such an old town such as manchester.
I hadnt seen brett in two years, its hard to believe its been that long but its like nothing had changed. our friendship still the same and as strong as always.. it was so wonderful to catch up with such an old friend. Like putting on one of your favourite old jumpers that seems to hug you and comfort you in a way you can't explain. It nourished and revitalised me. I came back home to london renewed and filled with more artistic vive and passion then before.. and wrote a full chapter in my book.
All in all, the red brick buildings of castlefields and the canals were simply irristible. In the middle of it all were roman ruins from 250ad, just basically an old fort and battlement. but it added to the rich tapestry of history which manchester has stitched into its heart.
I cant wait to get back up there to sample it again and also take in the delights of blackpool, liverpool and Leeds and of course the lake district.. my next big mission.
and for anyone thinking of venturing into mr darcy territory all i would say is.. give him my regards and take a snapshot of the scenery with your mind. I will carry it with me always.
xxx
jess
