What with the weather and my mothers lethargy the couple of days leading up to Halloween were for me quite difficult, I am not used to sitting around talking and watching TV, but I did feel it was necessary to spend the time with mum. Charlie was equally as difficult to motive to want to do things so we all had a couple of lazy days in the house. I was determined however, that Halloween should be special after all it is the night of the witches…. “My night!” as Richard would say.
Charlie had earnt some money for helping cut the woods and I had given them both some money for their birthdays so we decided to start the day at Viareggio market. The drive seemed longer this time there was a lot of traffic around Lucca for the Comic Festival which we would visit later during the day. So it wasn’t long before I was asking “aren’t we there yet”
We managed to park quite close to the seafront; the weather was glorious who’d have thought that it was autumn, it was so hot. I do have to laugh, we definitely looked like the tourists we were dressed for summer, for the heat. So yes you are right in my case I didn’t have a lot on! However, the natives… the Italians had their jumpers and coats on and they looked at us as if we had just landed from another planet.
An observation I have made is how the locals dress for the season rather than for the weather. But when they question me, “You must be so cold” I respond with “no, I am English and this is hot for us” and we all laugh. I love the sun, like a beached whale I bask in its rays, soaking up every opportunity to feel her warmth.
For me it’s one of the biggest and best markets in the area as all of the stalls line the promenade making the Saturday market of Barga look like the poor relation overshadowed by the choice and quality here. Richard and Charlie went on ahead not wanting to spend time with us women who spend too much time looking on each stall, touching and feeling everything along the way.
It didn’t take mum long before her feet ached, I found myself lecturing her on the benefit of wear sensible shoes that actually fitted her, rather than squeezing her feet into a size too small. At the age of seventy five is that still vanity? I know my mum loves me, but I must have sounded such a bear constantly frustrated and critical of her. How bad am I? Still I kept pulling her along the stalls; we’d have a coffee when we meet back up with the boys.
I also treated her to some new clothes taking the opportunity to do a “make over”. “Now mum this would really suit you, and this goes with this!” was all she heard for the next couple of hours. Poor thing! Another little thing that I have noticed is that the markets only stock the most popular or end of line sizes and when you are a little larger than life, like both my mother and me it can be a little difficult finding things to fit. But I also ended up buying a few things for myself so when we stopped for the well earned coffee we all showed our wares. Coffee and beer was very expensive but all mum and Charlie wanted was a Burger King, philistines.
When we parked the car Richard had made a rude gesture to the Marrakeeni who pointed to the spare space, he also locked the car something we haven’t done in a long time and when we returned we realised why we didn’t!. There was a police notice attached to the car, the alarm had been going off for hours and in the end they had opened the door through a slightly open window and disconnected the battery. But it was too late.
We looked a sight as we tried to bump start the car in the car park! And it didn’t take me long to get bored with this idea, so it wasn’t long before Richard and Charlie were sent to buy a new battery. Unlike in the UK where you can buy anything that you want from a supermarket, another thing I have noticed is how different and difficult it is here, they returned with no joy. Luckily for us a man who lived nearby had a set of jump leads and we were on our way once more.
Of course I blamed Richard that would teach him to make rude gestures to someone trying to help him.
Having never visited Lucca before for the Comic Festival we were all excited to see what was going on, it was Thursday and not the weekend but there were so many people, people of all ages and how much fun. It’s been a long time since I have read a comic and I was disappointed not to see any Desperate Dan’s, but every which way you turned there was a person in costume.
No expense had been spared in making some fantastic costumes, and as we walked in awe amongst the Pokémon characters (thank goodness Charlie was will us to tell us all of their names), the soldiers of Doom, and all the other characters. Everyone including us where laughing and having fun, Rich and Charlie decided to have their faces changed and it wasn’t long before they too became the focus of attention – I wasn’t sure if they were Zombies or Walking Dead
There was so much going on that even Mum was taken in by it all, as we watched re-enactments of games, fits and scenes. Stalls lined the wall, the outfits where amazing often manned by Batman and Robin or another cartoon character. How thrilled we were to be part of it and we are already thinking about our costumes for next year! Rich as the Joker, me as Wonder woman and Charlie needed more time to think. Visit their website and plan your costume for 2014.
We stopped for dinner inside the walls and the entertainment continued until we left. In hindsight we should have stayed, mum was getting tired I do have to remember she is seventy five now. Age is something that I never think about often changing my age to suit the situation, so there are times when I want to use the children’s playground that I revert to being seven years old, or that outfit that makes me fifteen again but as a rule of thumb my average age is twenty five…
But trying to fit as much as possible in we went off to Borgo Mozzano for one of the biggest Halloween festivals in Europe, we really wanted to see the fireworks as they go off by “Devils Bridge”. The parking was nigh on impossible, after several, and I do mean several drive pasts we managed to park quite close to the bridge but it was a long walk to the village, so mum and I, or rather mum decided to stay in the car and I decided to stay and keep her company. Richard and Charlie walked for several miles and partook in the nights events.
I wasn’t much company I fell asleep and it wasn’t long before I was awoken by the sirens as the police cars went passed, they stopped all of the cars on both sides of the river before the firework display commenced. I did find myself making the relevant “ooooohs” and “ahhhhhhs” as the bridge and night sky was lit up with a mirage of colour and light. It was a great display and shortly afterwards Rich and Charlie returned to the car so that we could go home. Again check out their website it truly is an amazing event.
Come on Barga, we have the venue lets do something for 2014.
We all slept really well that night – but what a great action packed day.
Article by Sensone