43. Went to the 4-Days Marches

7/21/2017 Syl 0 Comments



The main event in our city, Nijmegen, is a special event called: The 4-Days Marches.

The festivities around it start the Saturday before.
It's a huge festival with open air concerts, music everywhere in the center in town, and a lot more.

And Tuesday early in the morning, the marches start. All 4 days people walk the same age-related distance of 30, 40 or 50 km, the routes are different each day.

On Friday the last part is walked on a long straight road, which is only called that day: Via Gladiola.
Because the flower of the marches is the Gladiolus.

The sides of the long road are crowded by people who sit there almost all day, cheering and applauding.
It's very special. The walkers, who are very tired, are motivated to walk that last part in a victorious way, even though their feet hurt like hell and their knees feel like they will never be able to bend. Without the public many would not have reached the finish.

As a small girl I accompanied my dad, who was a member of a care team of the National Post Office. I loved it.
As soon as I could I would help the care team. First by handing out towels, later by handing out tea. The older I got, the more responsible tasks I got, until a friend of my parents told everyone I had to care for his blisters. I had seen it so often, and he offered himself to be the first person I would care for. I did well, and was accepted in the care team.
Worked there for years, alongside my dad.

Later, when the careteam was ready at friday afternoon and a few years later when it didn't exist anymore, I joined the crowds at the side of the road and enjoyed the festivities.
I loved it.

I wanted to go this year so badly, especially as my kidney function is deteriorating so rapidly that I might be on dialysis next year.
On Thursday I didn't expect to go and felt really sad. My son has had my car all week because his scooter was in repair, but it was like he had forgotten my existence.
Without informing me one of my daughters called him and arranged that he'd take us with him when he went there. (He's photographer for the local paper.)

So early in the morning we went there, sat down and waited for the walkers.
Beside us were very funny people. I vaguely recognized the woman, and the sun was at the other side of the road, so for the first time that week we shivered. Which was nice. LOL!

In the air there was interesting traffic. A Boeing CH-47 Chinook seemed to land on the small airstrip nearby, but it didn't. It flew low above the Via Gladiola, returned, flew even lower when it approached the military terrain where my son was working, saluted the soldiers and went away.
Not much later I saw an airplane nearing. It flew very low, which was kind of frightening, as we have and airport just across the border nearby, and it looked like it couldn't keep it's height. It flew straight towards us, then turned to it's right, and flew in a curve very low, flew a circle, even lower, but it didn't salute above the military terrain. Perhaps the pilot couldn't wave the wing, it was there to observe or for any other reason. One way or another it was very impressive.

For hours on end we watched people pass by.
Some I recognized from years ago, and most recognized me back. Greeting me with a smile and a wave. A few came for a high five, to shake my hands, or said a few kind words. And one even came to bow for me, which made me remember a joke between us from 30 years ago!
And one who looks a lot like my father came to me for small talk, to show he's using a mobile phone with apps.
Some I know will be there again next year, some I saw for the last time.....

In the meantime the sun had reached us and it got very hot.
We used sunmilk factor 50, but we've got a terrible sunburn.

In the past I've been a photographer at the Marches, and this time I couldn't stop myself. I took hundreds of photographs from the bands that played between the walkers.

I'll put a selection of them on a seperate blog in due time, together with the photo's my daughter took.

I'm very happy I went.
Even though I have a terrible sunburn and my hands ache very much.
I've seen so many familiar faces. The fact they recognized me...

I hope to be able to go next year, again....

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