What we do here

Eurohash minus 83 days. Bringing back the World's Worst to lovely Siegenfeld after quite some years was a fine task by the Hares Casting Couch and 2Bob and they are herewith given credit by me and all those who love rolling hills, vast forests and the feeling that a nations capital is still a mere 30 kilometres away.

Due to very fair weather parking outside the main place, parking near the Gasthaus Skilitz (starting point) was very hard to find (tho they extended their car parking space by 300 percent since we were there last time) and so Se* Energy and I were late, just a little, and had to do a live start together with the agreeable crowd of more than 30. The trail quickly split into a runners and a walkers part, leading past a remarkable assembly of houses in a tiny place called Rosental. One of the local houses had lots of artsy looking statutes decoratively places in the garden, and when the sluggish Moron brothers will have uploaded the pics from this run we all can peruse a little exhibition.

Example 1

Example 2

Ice Queen was lamenting that she could not pic up enough wood garlic (Lieber hunger ich mit Leerbauch, als ich ess' etwas mit Bärlauch) and Hare Casting Couch asked if I was carrying my telephone with me ( I did) for she was concerned that the walking group got lost. Second Hare 2Bob already left to look for them at the trail's tail end when a call to another Harriette (Se* Energy in fact) revealed that the walkers must have been MUCH FASTER than the rest and were ahead of ze runners.

In the end it was on back to the carpark and the usual circle proceedings. Towards the end of the circle  Chucker F*cker started to whine that JustAnn had been running with our chapter for a year now and she still was not bestowed a Hash Name (SO? The time is right when the time is right!) and in a move that surprised us all he bent his knee and proposed to JustAnn ("So here is to Mrs. F*cker!).




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On After at the nearby Gasthaus where they waiters seemed to have already had a stressful day ("So you made a reservation in the garden? Tough, you see that all of our 6 tables in the garden that would easily hold 150 are taken. Go inside"!)

We as a mini group of four grabbed the one empty table at hand and within half an hour most Hashers were sitting outside after their lunchtime guests had left. There is plenty of room to improve here, dear Gasthaus staff! Memories from past visits are certainly fond.

Flotsam

Eurohash minus 86 days. Last week saw the aforementioned Steiermarkdorf at the Rathausplatz in Vienna city centre and as usual, loyal followers of this event were met and a few of them pictured for posterity.  Outside conditions were wet and a little windy. A real "Herzenssteirer" cannot but neglect the bad weather (for there is only the wrong clothing) and fill his heart again with joy, year after year.

A local cardinal im Zirbenbett (look that term up)

Warmup Workout while wanting White Wine

 A local tradition are the Ratschen.(Easter ratchets). One such "Ratschenbauer" always makes his way up the capital of Ostrichland to dipslay his artful products (as seen below). 

The Ratschenbauer

Meanwhile there was a smallish Food Festival festuring Lower Austrian Products taking place not too far from the Steiermarkdorf. Does that sign look like they were encouraging their visitors to become waste divers?

 A nearby "Genussfest", hopefully not straight out from the Garbage Container

Eventually, our local Cardinal had to spend a few days in hospital to get treatment for, well, whatever. To speed up his recovery, a well known nurse swung by and he was given an injection with what looks like pure love to me.

He has to admit it's getting better!

Where is the Hash Context? Due to miserable weather the TGIF crowd whimped out from their original intention to sample some great white wine from Styria and convened (presumably whining) at a nearby Irish Pub on Friday evening.

Urban Jazz

Apart from the nearing Eurohash in three months and the changing seasons (into springtime that is), tomorrow will see the opening of an event that lasts but four days every year and in the evenings is literally taken by storm by the Vindobonians (not just the Hashers). I am talking about the Steiermarkdorf, a four day extravaganza that was started in 1996 and as far as I am aware is the most cleverly made presentation of one Austrian province for another one.

This festival includes touristic as well as wine and dine specialities, you can have your own Lebkuchenherzen made and as much as the Schweizerhaus opening it symbolizes a bit the transition from winter (?) into spring. Mentioning the Steiermark, what has become of the Graz Hash? Reminiscing about all those runs that I have taken part within Vienna, areas like the Cobenzl, the Leopoldsberg and the Kahlenberg (infamous V4+1 run in 1997, 5 hours long!), the Grüß Di A Gott Wirt as well as all those Ski Week Solidarity runs either in the quarters around the Karlsplatz or near the Votivkitche, the Donaupark as much as the wonderful Lobau area and the Prater with our very own Hash House the Gösser Bierinsel gives the World's Worst a wealth of opportunities to choose locations from. And these are just places within the Vienna city limits. What I am trying to say is: If you have booked to come to Eurohash in July you will get your money's worth. Vindobona and its surroundings are fantastic places to run and party. 

Es wird ein Wein sein!

No big mysteries

Eurohash minus 94 days. Spring has arrived in full splendour and it certainly is most lovely to be able to wear shorts and shades again. The Eastermarkets in the city centre have opened up their stalls again (allowing one for the occasional dwink) and last Sundays run was O Sodomia's out in Eichgraben, somewhere west of Vindobona.

Following a road called the Dreiwasserstraße there was a tiny car park literally just coming out of a raulway underpass and a few of us squeezed their automobiles next to one another, well I confess, I wanted to block at least two spaces with our Hashmobile when Slush Puppie asked me kindly to park the car "orschlings" (look that term up if you can find it) so others could park next to us.

I assume that the Hare lives out there somewhere, given that she really seemed to know what she was doing directionwise ;-)  One was pleasanltly surprised to run along a coherent trail where  the general direction was a steady one uphill (and, of course, back downhill again towards the end). With the usual suspects Tonto, Justin Beaver, Pussy Schumi, Tickpleaser, Free Willie and FRBimbo Casting Couch there was no chance to shine as a Front Runner (no competition here), the thing I really enjoyed was the pleasant forest area, even with the adjacent motorway A1. With the first line and the double line after checkpoints often being several hundred metres apart (no kidding here) there was nothing left but to run and earn the beer after the run. Talking about which, the way back to the cars was leading through the short railway underpass again when THUMP a sound of bad car parking  could be heard.

THUMP at the end of the tunnel

What had happened? MOM, as well as a few others wanted to park his vehicle nearer to all the other ones, yet when he easily found a place to park he obviously missed the sight of Joysticks mobile behind his own one and the result was THUMP and the noise was much louder than the scratch that this minor collision caused.   And yes, there were some snivelers who whined about the ticks they brought home after the event.

Reconnaisance of trails for the Eurohash is underway, as I could tell from a special Down Down that had been awared to all those we were out in the fields already. The route that our group of four had reccied the day before the run looks promising, more about that in one of the next postings.



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Beers to you

Eurohash minus 110 days. This post is dedicated to a couple of legendary Schweizerhaus alumni, namely Minuteman (went back to Tennesse) and Se* o Phone (now lives in Brisbane) Before we knew it March 15 was here again. Since the first 10 weeks of 2017 have been a complex time for various reasons the small group of the true stalwarts (which are bascially Cardinal Munk, OVH and myself) were much looking forward to the first warm-up beers at the Englische Reiter before the gates to Beer Elysium of the day were finally opened at 11 a.m.

Time always flies in the company of a beery group, this time consisting of MOM (always there), Dodgy Condom, NoBalls Prize and St.Norman (OVH). Instead of trying to describe a Happy Drinking Day with friends and always making new ones, here are some pics from the day.

We're trying to call up Se* o Phone in Brisbane, okay?

Gary Indiana!

The Tower of Babel

Listening with me

Eurohash minus 117 days. Another year, another Ski Week Solidarity Run. Last year CoHare Cardinal Munk, OVH and I started the trail from the Karlskirche so this time we started from the alternating location which is the Votivkirche. Since we the Hares start to feel our age a bit we decided (but you must not know!) to move the head start forward to 18:30 in order to allow for a slow walk through the neighbourhood. The inside of the Alte AKH (Innenhöfe, now a Vienna University Campus), where they have their annual Christmas Market, the Stieglambulanz and the Bierheurigen Gangl as well as quite a few other shops  is always a pleasure to run through.

Getting out of the Altes AKH and onto the Lazarettgasse is getting one onto the vast area of the Allgemeine Krankenhaus, a labyrinth for me and an amazing place in the evening hours, with spots tastefully painting patterns of light on the walls of old and sometimes unused old pavillons (which resemble those in Lainz tremendously). Another three corners and getting by the Vienna Rathaus (with that strange attratction called the Wiener Eistraum still up and running) and it was on back to where we started from. A mere five minutes after CoHare Cardinal Munk, OVH and I sat down to enjoy our soft drinks the runners already arrived, namely Mind the Gap, Casting Couch and Slush Puppie. (Followed by more Ski Week Solidarity Stalwarts Lord Glo-Balls - OVH, Lucky Me, Root CAnal, Chucker F*ucker and Just Anne).

Fancy looking Shirts were being sold, roses for the Harriettes were handed out and after a short circle the evening was concluded at the Stiegl Ambulanz. Thanks to all attendees for keeping this tradition up and running.



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From one pole to another

Eurohash minus 124 days.An endearing tradition of the World's worst is without doubt the Blue Moon Hash, held annualy on the preceding evening of Ski Week Start. As far as I can rememtber the run always started from the Volkertplatz (where the once was a real dump in terms of an old-fashioned Gasthaus (now replaced by something looking more modern).

The objective of the "run" (casual walk would be more like it), again as always, was to have couple of drink stops in two local houses of ill repute. (That also brings back memories of stories that an Ozzie Hasher told me in Warsaw 30 years ago about those dirt road Hashes in Southeast Asia). To me at at least the whole thing, being attented by three dozen hounds, was something like three times around the block (down to the Nordbahnstraße) and straight into the first such house that feature purple wallpaper, thick smoke and a few bored-looking females (I assume their real customers arrive much later). Within no time everybody received their much welcome drinks (and some red wine even for some very special ladies) and, to the exaltation of a few special gentlemen (Richard Kopf) a dancer came forward to present her skills on the dancepole. 



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All said, done and danced it was on off to the second such house (the Kerstin Bar somewhere in the second district), a place that looked inviting but for some strange reasons all the Harriettes were denied entrance so there was no choice but to leave and look for the next best thing (which was a somehow deflated beerstop in a house of healthy repute - a normal Gasthaus). On back to the starting point and in no time the circle started. Me and S.Energy did not stay long enough to clock the arrival time of the local law enforcement agents, they usually arrive within ten minutes due to loudness level violation complaints. On out.