Camomille in the Rain

Life is ironic. Today I set out to go to the beach for the first time. Unsure of my way, which bus to take, and whether or not I would end up in the right place, I bought a ticket for the trip to Camaiore because I know there is a place called Lido di Camaiore (which Ive been to before), literally meaning "beach of Camaiore." It seemed like a good bet. Camaiore, the town, is on the other side of the mountain from Lucca so we went through some winding roads and beautiful countryside. There are trees and ivy everywhere; I even saw a whole 2 acre field full of sunflowers from up high. When you drive through the country, people will sometimes be in their gardens and stop to see you go by or the bus driver will recognize a friend in a roadside cafè and give him a wave. Well, I arrive in Camaiore, which seems to be much more overcast than usual, and as I step out of the bus, a huge clap of thunder and bright bolt of lightning flash right in my view. Within two minutes, it was pouring rain...so much for the beach! I also found that Camaiore is different from Lido di Camaiore and theres an additional bus to take from Camaiore to the shoreline. Now, I know for the future. I wandered in the rain down the main road until I got to an inviting pizzeria where I could read and eat lunch, but they were closed, so I continued on. I got to a little cafe on the side of the road with covered tables outside and I decided to stop for some camomille tea. I enjoyed the pitter patter of rain above me and people walking by with umbrellas. There were puppies prancing in the rain with their owners calling after them and children jumping in the cobblestone puddles. The beach will always be there but days like this one, and the little surprise adventures I found, cannot be planned. I ended up walking to the bus stop in the rain and enjoyed the ride home as the skies cleared up above.