Krimo's Walking on the Moon...


Forty years ago! When I was sixteen in 1969, I could never have imagined that I would live another forty years... Moi, fifty six? Never! That is totally ancient!
I saw the Moon landing by chance.
We did not have a telly and I had no idea that the Americans were heading for the big round of cheese in the sky. Our daily newspaper reported mainly on very mundane stuff. A cat stuck up a tree. The opening of a new shoe shop in town. Vietnam.
I came across the Moon landing by chance.
My mother woke us up at around 3am.
Not to watch the landing. No, no... A simple coincidence. We had to catch a coach at 5am to go to Collo a couple hundred miles away to spend a month's holiday at my uncle's.
Excited, we all got up without a moan, had a cup of milky coffee and a chunk of buttered baguette with Mother's delicious quince jam. A quick wash and we headed for the station.
At 4am, the town was very quiet.
The only noises came from the cafés on the Square. Their owners were already busy furnishing their terraces with plastic tables and chairs.
As we passed the last café before the station, my eye caught sight of the television above the counter. The black and white picture of Neil Armstrong taking big steps on the Moon.
I was truly moonstruck but my mother only allowed me to witness a few bounces before she dragged me away, threatening to leave me home with my Dad for another week. I left Neil Armstrong bouncing and followed my mother to the Med.
My Grandmother later laughed at my tale. "It's a lie! They would've been burnt alive! Just look at it glowing."
The holiday was a dream but that morning has stayed with me ever since.


7 comments:

Akelamalu said...

That's a great memory Krimo. I remember watching it on television (I'm older than you!) and marvelling at the accomplishment! :)

Pat said...

A treasure of a memory - quince jam and all.
Never mind Krimo - at least you are younger than Tom Watson.

Anonymous said...

Moi à dix sept ans , enfin seize et Trois quart !!
Devant la petite lucarne en noir et blanc , j'ai assisté à un reportage flou de science fiction genre Stanley Kubrick, en plus mauvais !

Zéphyr said...

Mon cher Krimo !

Ton histoire est pathétique. Dans notre enfance, il y a eu des moments où certaines situations nous ont profondément marqués.

"La marche sur la Lune" est un arrêt sur image.

Krimo said...

Akela, you're as young as you feel. We got our first b&w telly in 1970.

Pat, when you're 16, even 30 feels ancient. Mother's quince jam was yummy.

Presque le même age, Crabbers! Ce n'est donc pas une coincidence que nous aimions les mêmes musiques.

Tu as raison, Zéphyr. La mort de JFK, le coup d'état de 65, etc...

Anonymous said...

Oui !Presque le même age ,la p'tite moustache comme deux virgules montrant le chemin aux mets les plus " faim " :), une musique qui n'est pas du bruit ,un gamin qui adore le foot ...


La vie est belle !! Krimo !

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