In need of a bit of fresh air, I went off to walk along the Donaukanal this evening. My first summer in Vienna, when I was preparing for my audition at the conservatory, I went every evening. I was living in a student residence (katholische Hochschülerinnenheim) on Servitengasse in the 9th and would walk over as a part of my fitness regime.
High time I came again. It is beautiful with the trees and green, swiftly flowing water. I didn’t used to come up to Spittelau, where the famous Hundertwasser trash incinerator is, but I’m glad I did this evening.
And the linden trees are getting started. There was promise in the air yesterday evening. After a temperature of 31°C (high 80s Fahrenheit) today, they are flooding the air with their perfume.
All in all, a nice evening constitutional on this “Pfingstmontag” (Whitmonday) holiday.
As mentioned on International Haiku Poetry Day, this will be shorter than usual. I’m glad I got to see the Marathon, though, and can write a little bit about what I saw.
Maybe this time I’ll start with the end. For the first time (I think), I’m uploading screenshots of the list of top 10 runners, women and men.
The men’s race was not at all close. The three top runners came in quite far apart, as you can see from the times listed. There was some hope that the record might be broken in the men’s race, but by Oqbe Kibrom, who was the favorite but came in second. In the women’s race, Tigist Gezahagn did break Vibian Chebkirui’s 2022 record. She ran the marathon in 2:20:06 compared to Chebkirui’s 2:20:59. In fact, Haftamnesh Tesfaye, who was a close second in the women’s race, also came in under Chebkirui’s record.
The women’s race was especially interesting because of those two top runners, who ran as a group with their pace setter. Apparently, they train together and it all looked very collaborative — at one point Tesfaye, who ran almost exclusively right behind Gezahagn, slipped and very briefly went down and Gezahagn took time to look over her shoulder and check — until the two of them entered the Ring, down at Wollzeile, and then Tesfaye made a move. It was quite suspenseful for a bit and then Gezahagn found it in her to simply pull away, to cross the finish line 12 seconds ahead.
First Austrians were, as you can see, Andreas Vojta and Eva Wutti, the same runners to come in first for Austria in 2025. Both were somewhat disappointed with their performances. Andreas Vojta was hoping for a personal best but did more or less as well as he did last year, both in terms of time and position. Eva Wutti was struggling at times and at one point in the Prater simply stopped, clearly in distress. She later mentioned that she was having muscle problems and that the heat affected her. (In fact, a lot of people talked about the heat. By the end, the ORF was saying that it was 23°C [about 73°F] — my thermometer showed about 18° [64°F] but OK. In any case, it was well over the 8° to 9°C that they last year, when it was barely above freezing, said are ideal.)
A couple of things I want to remember:
Once again there was a running reporter, Peter Herzog. Sometimes it was really hard to understand what he was saying because he, understandably, was breathing so hard. At one point, the reporters in the studio told him to stop talking and breathe! But in Viennese. Something like: “Schnauf dich jetzt a bisserl durch. Sprechen abstellen und atmen.”
To encourage Eva Wutti, a fan held up a quickly made sign that said “Zieh durch, Oida!” (“Keep going” or “Hang in there”) using the Viennese expression “Oida” that can mean almost anything (see link to YouTube video below). In this case, it was clearly affectionate and meant, I felt, to bring a smile.
In fact, the Viennese dialect and accent made a particular impression on me this time. One organizer of the race sounded German to me and that really stood out. Otherwise it was the Viennese, or perhaps simply Austrians, “unter sich” — among themselves.
Michael Buchleitner, a former top Austrian marathoner, now 56 years old, on hearing one of the no longer young Austrian runners say he was hoping to improve next year that there comes an age where there is no more room for improvement. True in other aspects of life as well — although not all aspects!
I find myself surprised at how young the runners are. The top runners seem to be mainly in their 20s. Obviously, I’ll have to jettision my idea that the marathon favors older runners because of the need for experience. I grew up with that perception. I now have no idea where it came from. (I thought it was from Frank Shorter, but he was 25 when he won his (first?) gold medal.) Ah, well.
How much attention was given this time to the “Verpflegung” or, basically, refreshments for the runners, and how important a role they play both in terms of what and when
The repeated emphasis from both commentators and runners that, while the outcome of any sporting event is unpredictable, those of marathons are especially so.
And, finally, that at the beginning the commentators were talking about a Harvard Medical School student who was running and had to be back in time for classes because attendance is mandatory. This is possible, they explained, because tomorrow is a holiday in Massachusetts because the Boston Marathon is being held — never realizing that the Boston Marathon is being held tomorrow because it is a holiday (Patriots Day). 😉
My Trafikant (proprietor of the Tabak Trafik I always go to) has died. He was in his 80s and had been in bad health for a long time, but it is sad news for me. He was a complicated person — I thought he might be on the autism spectrum and from a time when no one understood that — but he was a fixed point in the neighborhood, and he loved Maylo. (In fact, he loved all dogs.)
The women who worked for him, who, quite possibly are now out of a job as concessions for this kind of shop are so limited, have written in the announcement of his death that he was more than a boss and employer. He was a person (a Mensch) with a heart, principles, and open ears. They should know. They worked with / for him for many years and took care of him when he had no family left.
I fear, given government efforts to reduce the number of Trafiks, that this is the death knell also for my Saturday ritual of picking up the Kurier and an instant lottery ticket, at least at this one place.
To see what kind of place this Trafik and its Trafikant had in my heart you can check out these previous posts shown below. I think my favorite is “Our Trafik”. That captures him well.
A mild November Sunday and I took a walk with friends to the highest point in Vienna, the Habsburgwarte in the 19th district. Altitude: 542 m. I’d been to the Warte before but never when it was open. This time, I was able to climb the tower and admire the view from the top. What an amazing city! ❤️
The magazine Condé Nast Traveller has released the results of their survey on the friendliest city in Europe. (We beat out Lisbon!?!) I hardly know what to say. Friendliness is fine, but the famous “Grant” (grumpiness) in Vienna also had something.
Makes me think of the Boston Globe (New York Times?) headline when the Red Sox finally won the World Series after well over 70 years of not winning it: Now just a team like any other?
A friend and I have been keeping an eye on this villa in Neuwaldegg. We’ve seen too many treasures over the years been allowed to decay to a point when they could legally be torn down. Invariably, they were replaced with faceless, cement structures that were, possibly, quite nice to live in but brought no joy to the folks out front.
This one sat on a construction site for about two years, and for a while it wasn’t clear which way the project was going to go. Then it started to look promising. This time when I walked by I was treated to the fully renovated version.
If the person who invested the time, money, and care into restoring this property ever reads this — thank you! Not only did you save a beautiful piece of Viennese history. You restored a tiny bit of my hope in people.
Twice in one year, but they have been flirting with us. After my near rapturous post on May 26, the scent faded again. Then it would appear and disappear. Just Monday, a friend commented that it was a wonderful year for roses, and I said, rather sadly, “But not for the linden trees.”
This morning I was taking my usual walk in the park and was overwhelmed with the scent. They’re back in full force, and I am basking in the fragrance.
A little later this year than last, which I think is a good thing. I caught a faint whiff this morning and by this evening they were as noticeable as ever. Ah, May!
ecbinvienna 