On a frigging cold afternoon the meeting place was set right next to M;y PInt of Views living room which ist the Auer Welsbach Park in the 15th district. Anita Hanjob and Eg Al themed that run with "Conchita Wurst" (Who?) and MOM, truest of all impersonators showed up with an impressive presentation that would have been worth all Eurovision Song Contests Past and Present. Trail had been set with couloured chalk and very quickly I found myself running together with MPOV, The Blessed Saint Normen and Deodorant when we more or less unsuccesfully tried to follow what as a long loop all around the Schönbrunner Schlosspark.
Well ...
After somehow getting up to the top of Maxingstraße somehow it was On On to a Stop without Drinks (at least everyone stood and waited for something that never happened or materialized) and further on into the Schlosspark via the upper end of Schönbrunn Zoo and past the Gloriette. On Back into the Park and onto a freezing cold circle.
Let's start off with the real important note first: Eurohash registration has opened On November the 18th evening and I have regisitered already. You should do so too.
The run I am trying to remember here took place in the Lobau, near the Ölhafen where there is a vast vast area of forests, meadows and ponds (Lacken). New Vice GM Lopsided Backside and Just Michael have set a long one, leading past the Panozzalacke and deep into that National Park terrain. Evenutally the trail was split into a walkers and runners trail, the announced drink stop consisted of some Baileys-like Irish Cream that had to be drunk from the bottletop and at long last it was on back to the carpark.
After some heavy run on the way to the run the skies cleared up magically during the circle (even if that ended in pitch darkness and happy faces were seen all around.
No pics were made during this run so instead I will come with some facts about swimming in the past, historically seen.
Se* Energy and I were fortunate enough to have lived in the city of light for three years fom 1993 - 1996, just before we joined the Vndobona Hash Chapter. We ran with all three of the local Hashes (Paris, Saint Cloud and Fontainebleau), started Hash runs at midnight from underneath the Eiffel Tower, had a Hash relay run from Paris to Fontainebleau that again started from the Eiffeltower at one Sunday 6.a.m. and generally had a wonderful and memorable time with and without the Hash in this fantastic city. If you have never been to Paris then do so whenever you get the chance. It is a chaming and wonderful place.
My heart and thoughts are with the people of Paris and all les Francais. Le savoir vivre and the Hashing spirit - fun, friendship, drinking - will prevail. Terror will not.
AGM, Annual Grand Meeting. That occasion is always worthy to reminiscence/recapitulaze about what has happened. And what will be. Evers since 2002 the World's worst chose it'S annual refuge to meet, dedate, drink, elect and eventually forget at the Gösser Bierinsel - the VH3 Hash House - at the far end of the Prater, not far from the Lusthaus. The main reason to do so, apart from the vast forest all around - was and still is the demeanour of the owner Frau Eva, the waiter Herr Josef, the Cook Big Ben and all the rest of the staff there. (Past Quote from Frau Eva at one the countless evening drink sessions at the Hash House when other guests started to complain about the drunken depraved debauchery that was beginning to unfuld : "DAS (we, the Hash, please note) SIND LUSTIGE LEUTE, MIT DENEN MAN SPASS HABEN KANN UND WENN EUCH (the other guests) DAS NICHT PASST, KÖNNTS IHR GERNE GEHEN!" (I am raising my virtual glass/can/bottle to that)
Hash waiter Herr Josef, at the AGM in 2014
Well, Frau Eva and Big Ben are about to retire by the end of 2015 so this meeting had a sentimental note to it. The preceding run , I must admit, was really nicely set leading around forest at the Lusthauswasser, then all the way back to the Heustadlwasser with a BEERSTOP being held at the Schutzhaus-Heustadlwasser (and mind you, Richard Kopf was the Hare, duly assisted by Nail Me as Herr Grandmeister couldn't sober up in time on his way back from a Lobster Dinner in Budapest). After that welcomed beerbreak it was on back across the Prater Hauptallee and at long last on in to the carpark and subsequent circle. Thanks to global warming, the Prater area and the Hash House in special were crowded with walkers/drinking guests so the circle had to be exceeded by yet another 30 minutes.
As usual at these meetings a) the Hash finances were presented to be in a healthy state and b) there were hardly any chances in the "mismanagement" that more or less is consisiting of the entire Vindobona Hash anyway. Apart from the new GM of Vice Lopsided Backside. Sincere congrats from yours truly herewith! The next morning or so Mister Grandmeister sent out a strange message via Hashgroups, thanking everyone for everything and "fortunately I (he) was not facing any opposition during the election but I (he) was too inebriated" to remember too much anyway. Besides all things events next year, the Eurohash 2017 is a mere 19 months around the corner!
Due to different commitments and obligations I had not been able to do a Hashrun in two months. That will soon and hopefully change but is of no importance to this blog. In the meantime, there was this GREAT and well-attended wedding reception starring Herr Grandmeister and Mrs. Multiple Entry in Bratislava at the beginning of October. I have successfully managed to get my greedy hands on the Cardinal's (OVH) speech which I have the pleasure to present here for all posterity, unabridged:
"Faithless Flock!
Before we begin the ceremony of marital bondage, I would like, on behalf of our loely couple, to extend heartfelt grettings to all who have traveled so near and for this joyous event. Many of you have come from distant parts of Europe, from Russia, and Japan. Others have come from Canada, Lompock, and Kuka manga. One person, I am told, has even come from that despicable city of Cleveland Ohio (God save his soul!). Welcome one and all!
So without further ado, let us start the sacred ceremony.
Dearly Intoxicated!
We are gathered in the presence of this rbble to join this man (?) and this woman in Holy Matress Monkey. Attesting to their dreary and lonely lives, they have now resolved to end their plight by going home together and getting lucky every night without the need for self-gratification or technology. We have come to celebrate the end of their wayward and degenerate lives and cheer them into co habitational, marital bliss (I think I need a drink!)
If any man can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him speak now or forever hold his peace... Or talk to me in the lobby after the ceremony...
Donald, Le Canard (car-narr) confit, Le canard de Pekin, Le anard assis, Le canard Mat, villain petit canard, Le canard siffleur, Le canard caoutchouc (kau-chouc), Le canard domestique, Gautierer!
Do you take this woman to be thy wedded wife, to love her, to comfort her, to honor her in sickness and in health, even on bad hair days and good, until the beer runs out? (Please don't quack).
(I do)
Lena (See paper) Bottle of Vodka,
do you take this man(?) to be thy wedded husband, to love and comfort him, honor him abd keep him in sickness and in health or at least until something better comes along?
(I do) ... you bet you do...
Who is given this woman to this man? (sponsor of bride leads to minister - right hand of bride to right of groom).
Repeat after me
I, Donald Duck, take you, bottle of vodka, to have and to hold from this day forward for better or for wordse, or at least until my bank account runs out. Unto thee I plight my troth (whatever that means).
I, bottle of vodka, take you, Donald duck, to have and to hold fromt his day forth for better or for worse and I hope to god it is for the better!
(best man gives ring to duck left hand cha cha cha)
The heat wave has passed and so have the summer months. Between a few Hash runs in Vindobona and in the blistening heat there was time for the family to travel to Styria and spend some time in and near Murau, a lovely place a mere 80 kms away from Radstadt and a town that hosts a glorious brewery with fine beer (I think I mentioned that in an earlier post, apologies if so). Maybe a place for a future Hashweekend in a few years time.
Then it was on to see friends in Poland, a country where S.Energy and I started to run the Hash back in 1988. The Hash Fee then was 1 US-Dollar and the Beer was Becks and Tuborg. Fond Memories like most Hashers have on their personal Mother Hash (naturally not THE Mother Hash in KL!). The Warsaw Hash are still a very active Chapter and of course the latest Eurohash has just happened a few weeks ago in Krakow.
One and a half K's long, 500 metres wide and the only person swimming is YOU
Last mondays run out in Klosterneuburg saw Tonto and Flying Dutchman as the Hares. The place is quite a distance to go from the south of Vienna and in spite of the eternal roadworks on the Südosttangente I was pleasanly surprised that it took a mere 35 minutes to get there. On the occasion of the penultimate Monday evening run this year the weather was a bit subpar and the crowd was small, counting 14 or 15.
Trail went out from the carpark near the Strandbad and soon into to old part of Klosterneuburg and in no time was I truly amazed when Hare Fyling D highlighted a Hash View Stop by the sight of a HUGE Castle (the Martinsschlössl) that the Von Trapp family used to live in during the 1920s. I never saw the movie Sound of Music though. Must have been made primarily for a non Austrian audience. Some more running and puffing later it was on down the hill again and into the woods that are located between the town and the Danube. Long running stretches were leading thru more and more darker paths and I felt a bit fortunate when eventually the road to the carpark came in sight. At the carpark and during the circe we saw a) that Mr. Pink, latecomer, arrived amongst the fastest (which was not hard to do) and b) Joystick presumbaly arrived late as well and did not return before the end of the circle, by that time in pitch darkness. I texted the man later on and was relieved when he replied something like "no worries, the only thing missing was a flash/torchlight, apart from that I was fine!".
And, since I cannot and won't include the Movie Sound of Music or even excerpts of that I think it is appropriate to listen to some Cheesy Elevator Music.
So we just returned from a glorious week of holiday near Murau in Styria. Yes they do have their own Brewery down there, amongst other stuff they produce Weißbier, Hopfengold and Pils, in addition to their already tasty Märzen Beer that all the partygoers to Pussy Galore's Alpine Experience consumed just 80 kms and one Mountan crossing away in Radstadt.
Fun was had by all in Radstadt
They have their own little Badeanlage in Murau which is a pond with a refreshing 21 degrees temperature, nicely neighboured by two skijumps. Fallen Angel was taking her first trail rides, to her great joy the longest one lasted 4 hours and was coronated by a picknick near an alpine cabin. Murau might be worth a Hash Weekend in 3 three years time after all the razzle-dazzle with Eurohash in Vindobona in 2017.
It is not possible to cover every run - and there were very many runs over the past few weeks! - and this has never been the overall intention anyway. Yet, congrats and compliments first and foremost to Pussy Galore and his helpers and also to all the unmentioned Hares who keep coming up with runs of their own.
Have I mentioned the Heatwave? I think I did. After last years slightly miserable summer months in terms of weather in and around Vienna this year is the complete opposite with temperatues constantly in the thirty + degree celsius rate and I am noticing that the nearby ponds are starting to smell a bit.
Castting Couch and Kunt Tell Ya did set a run at the Goldene Stiege in Mödling, where the forest was already drier than a huge bottle of Martini. The Hares idea seemed to avoid the often used trails and start with a long loop away from the carpark that in no time was followed by a VERY STEEP ascent into the forest. "It's not a very long run, we only needed 50 minutes to set this" (Quote Hare). Inside the forest and runing alongside the magnificent Hashview the overall trailsetting concept seemed lost to me, especially when both Hares got lost on their own trail "But I KNOW FOR SURE that there were marks here before!" A short swing on over the Anningerstraße and back in along the out trail concluded this, suitably followed by the OnIn at the nearby Gasthaus Bockerl.
