Let's not complain about the weather. I am in favor of ongoing heatwaves during the summer months (and a good few blogposts over the last few summers deal with this subject). On the other hand (you have different fingers), there's also nothing wrong with a few days of snowfall and decent cold. Meaning outside temperatures well below zero degrees celsius. Out to the east of Vienna in Fischamend where there are certainly no slippery hills but parts of our very own Nationalpark Donau Auen - it is a lovely and wonderful area, a recommended place to visit - King Ralph, obivously assisted by Likmm, set a run today.
Not a false trail by definition
Even though the World's Worst is becoming a geriatric affair the always stable numbers in attendance (around 25 today) never cease to surprise one. Markings for runners and walkers trails were explained and the first part of the trail led via a few backroads and across the local river - the Fischa of course - to the housing area on the other side of the main road. From there and through a tricky checkback it was on underneath the motorway A4 and into the snowy and icy forest area. Within short, a Hash view across the River Danube came along and then it was on straight for quite a while alongside the nation's main waterway. When we all arrived at the songstop it was declared that the walkers may want to head back the easy way and the 7 runners (MTG; 2Bob, Casting C, Free Willy, Squat, Joystick and I) should carry on straight until.... after another 2 or 3 kilometres there was a nasty Fishhook, meaning we had to run all the way back we came. Runners don't give in easily and after another motorway underpass it was back into Fischamend. After some more distance to cover it was on back to the carpark with a beer surprise. Frank Appa beers from a Prague/Bratislava weekend in Breclav were brought along and complemented to Gösser quite nice. And okay, I failed to announce that it was MOMs 1000th run. It wasn't. Still 4 more to go.
To my surprise (and to document a gap in run numbers) I realized that TBSN's birthday run on Friday a week ago carried no run number, even though Hash Cash was collected and runners got rin credit. Apparently, you got a stat for run without run number. Sounds to me like the pub with no beer. Or even worse, Ich steh an der Bar und ich habe kein Geld ;-)
Anyhow, birthday party leftovers in form of tasty birthday were transported to the run venue in Baden, at the Hotel Sacher party lot. After the run happy faces were seen all around, maybe with one exception...
A Sainted One who's halfway gone
Of all people eating cake slices I could spot the Cardinal, OVH happily munching away TBSN's cake face. But before all this happened, there was a run hared by Grand Mattress Casting Couch and 2Bob leading right into mud and snow and very long uphill. For those with "normal" running shoes like yours truly, this meant slip sliding nightmare, both uphill and then even worse downhill. To my shame I confess that I took the walkers trail from halfway onwards, shortly accompanied by Root CAnal. What seemed like an eternity in slipping away and cursing was actually only some 5 kilometres long, right in time for the beer and birthday cake festivities to commence.
Talking about which, some may remember the old rubber chicken that was in use many years ago during Hash circles. The poor chicken, righfully named Rudi Carrell memorial chicken got ruthlessly stolen by the Hash Ski Weekers and for at least 10 years gets abused on the Chicken races during those Ski Weeks. To my great joy I can herewith announce that a fitting replacement had been detected and presented at the TBSN birthday run, with the man himself having had the honour of the first Down Down out the from honorable Harald Juhnke memorial Chicken. Moronic brotherly pics from the birthday party run can be seen here.
This was it. The first Hasher from World's Worst hitting the first day of his eighth decade. After all, about a gent one can say these things, in regard to a female being this would be - also for me - tactless. Pics say more than words, so have a look for yourselves:
The Bag and the Blessed Saint Norman, OVH, both had birthday
A remarkably big group came together at the lower end of Erdbergstrasse in Viennas third district at Gasthaus Schwabl, a very neat hangout right oppoiste another highly interesting venue which is the Straßenbahnmuseum (street car museum). Absolutely worth going to. One-off returness just for the occasion included Sinex and The Bag, Needleman and Bootleg Sister and the inevitable Mindphuck. The overall attendence must have been more than 40 good people. with some more having turned up after the run finished. A bit along muddy paths in the Prater and back over a footbridge (okay, a rather wide on) over the A 23 and back to the Gasthaus where the circle was held outside and saw sparklers, lots of Hashy Birthday singings and one single firework, shot off by Cardinal Munk, OVH.
What followed was a fine birthday dinner with lots of presents, dancing (one such videoclip might crop up at the Christmas party) and a movie about The Blessed Saint Norman which was compiled by Rowed Runner as a labor of love. And, prominently, various huge cakes were baked and presented to the scrounging masses by a few well known Harriettes.
And, another infamous speech by Cardinal Munk, OVH. I received permission by Mr. Birthday himself to publish it so here it is in all its beauty:
REQUIEM FOR A SAINT
GOOD EVENING FELLOW “SCHNORRERS” AND WHOEVER SAID THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH/DINNER? ITS JUST AS WELL I’M NOT DRINKING, OTHERWISE I WOULD BE PISSED OFF THAT I ONLY GOT ONE FREE BEER! BUT WE DIDN’T COME HERE FOR THE GRATIS MEAL, DID WE? PLEASE DON’T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
TONIGHT WE ARE HERE FOR ONE AND ONLY ONE REASON. YES, TONIGHT WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE … THE CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE DOG! OR IS THAT HARE OF THE DOG, I TEND TO CONFUSE THE TWO. BUT THE CHINESE DON’T . THEY ARE VERY FOND OF DOGS… FRIED AND/OR STEWED.
BUT WHAT HAS ALL THIS TO DO WITH OUR OWN BELOVED AND BLESSED SAINT (STORMIN)NORMAN- FORMERLY KNOWN AS SOIXANTE -NEUF NORM?
IT’S NOW PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT OUR HERO WILL BE LEAVING HIS 7TH DECADE AND HEADING INTO HIS 8TH WHILE STILL LOOKING AS IF HE IS STILL INTO HIS FIFTH (FOR THOSE WHO'S COMMAND OF AMERICAN -ENGLISH IS ABOVE THAT OF DONALD TRUMP, THERE IS A DOUBLE MEANING IN THAT LAST SENTENCE).YES, THE BLESSED ONE IS THE FIRST TO STEP INTO THE REALMS AGED UNKNOWN.Being 70 MEANS THAT HE HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1948 WHICH ALWAYS LOOKS LIKE 1984 IF YOU ARE DYSLEXIC. BEING BORN ON THE 16th OF FEBRUARY HAS MOMUMENTAL IMPORTANCE THROUGH HISTORY. ON THIS VERY SAME DAY IN 600 AD POPE GREGORY THE GREAT DECREED THAT SAYING “GOD BLESS YOU” IS THE CORRECT RESPONSE TO A SNEEZE. IN 1777 MESSIER ADDS M53 TO HIS CATALOGUE (GLOBULAR CLUSTER IN COMA BERENICE). 1868 THE BENEVOLENT &PROTECTIVE ORDER OF ELKS IS FOUNDED IN WAPPINGER FALLS ,NY AND ON THIS DAY IN 1948 IT RAINED IN LONDON.
70 YEARS AGO, THE BRITISH EMPIRE STILL EXISTED. GEORGE VI WAS ITS KING, 1ST MORRIS MINOR ROLLED OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE, AND THE 1ST EVER COMPUTER PROGRAM RAN IN MANCHESTER. I DON’T HOW FAR IT RAN NOR DO I KNOW IF IT WON. BUT MUFFIN THE MULE WAS THE BIG HIT ON THE BBC AND THE LARGEST ATTENDANCE FOR AN ENGLISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE GAME 83,260 PEOPLE SAW MAN UNITED DRAW TO ARSENAL. AND IT HAPPENED TODAY, 70 YEARS AGO. AND SO DIDLULU, SHAKIN STEVENS AND THE BLESSED SAINT NORMAN.
THE BLESSED ONE IS A PROUD LONDONER BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE IS ADDICTED ,….TO THE ADDICTS(Charlton). I HAVEN’T PRIED INTO THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF HIS YOUTH BUT I KIND OF IMAGINE HE WAS ALWAYS THE PUDGY, LOVABLE SORT OF DORK THROUGHOUT HIS BOYHOOD UNTIL THE TIME HE ARRIVED AT THE VH3. HE CAME TO US WEDDED AND WITH CHILD. HIS LOVELY AND SCARY WIFE, THE FAMOUS ROWED RUNNER HAS TURNED A PIECE OF FLAB AND MOULDED AND BEATEN HIM INTO SHAPE SO THAT WE SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT OF ALL HER EFFORTS BEFORE US THIS EVENING. HE IS A FINE AND NOBEL SPECIMEN OF ATHLETIC MASCULINITY. HIS CHARACTER IS AS LOFTY AS THE CLOUDS THAT HE TREDS UPON . HE IS AN INSPIRATION FOR THOSE WHO QUESTION THE EXISTENCE OF GOD ( OR DOG IF YOU ARE DYSLEXIC AGAIN). IN ONE WORD HE IS BLESSED.
IT IS PROPER THAT HIS SON BE TITLED EL NIÑYO, THE BABY CHRIST!
SO FELLOW VINDOBONANS, LET US RISE AND LIFT OUR GLASSES IN HONOUR OF OUR GRACIOUS AND GENEROUS HOST .AND LET US SING TOGETHER
( EITHER “HE’s A HASHER OR HASHY BIRTH F—YOU!) THE END
This run towards the end of the funny season with the regarded Hares Lopsided Backside and Primadonna had a special of no less than two (2) drink stops, one each on the walkers as well as on the runners trail. Since their was a strange looking bottle comprising blue liquid that looked and tasted like anti-freeze ....
Sipping cocktails of Blue, Red and Grey
... the title of this post refers to one of the more original songs by the inevitable Mike Krüger, a German singer most popular in the 1970s.
Funnily dressed runners and walkers set off to a course around parts of Viennas 23rd district that comprised a green area called the Draschepark and most prominently the recreational area Wienerberg, an often used trail area in days of yore. A very steep and slippery uphill part was crowned by the aforementioned drinkstop (and some extra drinks that were found on the spot which we left untouched).
Who knows?
The walkers trail drink stop featured a bottle of egg liquor and some trail mishap caused by walking Hare Lopsided Backside (forgot the right direction apparently), she received a rewarding Down Down for this in the circle. The steep and slippery path downhill from the runners drink stop saw one guy touching the muddy floor - guess who? - of course it had to be me, dragged down by our doggie Just Lucky who pushed his leash a little to harsh. YAP! Lots more mud to cover those running shoes on the way alongside the Wienerberg Teich and a very pretty last part along the Liesingbach. The main attraction during the circle was a huge pile of Faschingskrapfen, brought along and distributed to the hungry masses by Cardinal Munk, OVH. Look here for all 68 (not 69!) pics of this run.
Let us start this post from the back end of a remarkable run, with a drink stop that was placed right below the elevated motorway which is the A 23, a much frequented trafficway from the north to the south of Vienna. To get to this strange place underneath, a kind of storage for various sorts of concrete blocks, fly-overs that once were used during roadworks, out of use direction signs, masses of old road lamps one had to continue alongside the motorway guide rail and underneath the actual elevated driving surface. Having arrived at the drink stop we were rewarded with a bottle of tasty Wodka Wyborowa, much welcomed stuff on a chilly day.
You'll know when you get there
Fly-over
Drink Stop!
Right opposite the drink stop there is the old Biedermeierfriedhof (Cemetery) where there is a Mozart Momument to be found. Has the man actually been buried there? They say that the cemetery area has the richest Lilac growth in all of Vienna in springtime. I will sure be there to find out for myself when the time comes. Before we got near the Drinkstop (and running by the homeground of the local soccer club Rennweger SV) the trail was set all the way through the area of the Arsenal, another very interesting place with its own rich history and a museum that is well worth to be visited. The run started off near the Vienna Biocenter Sankt Marx (I admit that I had to look up the history of this place) and, surrounded by an architectural Mishmash of old municipal housing (Gemeindebauten), brand new looking appartment blocks, a small batch of urban farming, deserted and out of use carparks (from one of these we did start a run many years ago) and the always present motorway.
Biedermeier Friedhof (Sankt Marxer Friedhof)
Agreeable beer at the circle with a short snowshower coming in, OnIn at a nearby Pizzeria. Look here for all the pics of this weird run.
