Running in the rain can be a paranormal experience ....

and the result of it is the changing of your day mood!
I was so deeply depressed in the morning and the hours just flew along the day without any positive perspectives .... that only therapy by moving outdoor could be the right thing to do!!

“Do not be angry with the rain; it simply does not know how to fall upwards.” ― Vladimir Nabokov 

Despite the relentless rain at 2 p.m. I decided to go for a ride from the north end to the south end of the Danube Island. At the moment I started to equip myself for the ride the rains seemed to become soft. After 10 minutes the sky started again to cry pretty strong!!

   Hm ..... to be or not to be?! To go out or to stay inside? Hm .... I ask the cat ... but I don't understand his advice.

I take my feet, my photo camera, my medical card and go out. I keep my bike treasures on, it doesn't matter too much, triathletes are used do run with it :-)

As recently in my life I have no idea which direction I should start .... 

So I start to the left and after 500 m left again to somewhere .... I follow now a road I never walked on which ends on a wild path .... then a crossroads .... and a sign which told me I leave Langenzersdorf (the place where I am living).

I choose left as the rain was strong, my feet are small oceans now and I don't intend to go far away. But it is amazing that only after 3 km I almost am outside the village borders and I lost direction.

I am now on the Apfelstraße, I enter  Lagerstraße .... on such an ugly weather the area is not so friendly, over all a lot of trucks, containers, a cars yard which looks like an old damaged cars cemetery and a lot of large road equipments. So it is clear I want out from there soon as possible! ("From here too?!?")

I now run to the left for about 200 m and I get the feeling it is not the right direction. I stopp looking around. Hm .... I thought: "Man, you got lost in the high Himalayas without no GPS, com on!! You have to smell the right direction ..." Hm ...

I return to the entrance on Apfelstraße letting it on my right. I am at the boarder between Vienna and Low Austria. 

The sky is a steamy milky big cover all over, the hills as hidden, just some of them can be seen, the others not at all.

I run and I run, I stop, I take pictures of the rain drops on the leaves, flowers .... I am on the road now, happy to be out of the high grass area where I was afraid about snakes.

On the left I enter the Ulmengasse and very soon I recognize the off-road along the Marchfeldkanal. From here everything becomes very familiar to me, so .... I slowly walk wondering the landscape. I soon feel how the soul is flying out from my body and watching down to a woman in a deep pink rain jacket, with red legs, walking through mud and puddles .... her mind is somewhere else ....

Charlie Chaplin used to say: I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.

Yes, it was pretty clear, she had that mood of "it sometimes rains. In my soul."

I remember about what Roger Miller said: Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.

I am wet, but I want to get even more wet ....  So I start not to avoid the waters anymore. I cannot become more wet as I am already! I know the feeling from many competitions when you run, run or cycle and you are happy at the end!

 “The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected; I have always considered the rain to be healing—a blanket—the comfort of a friend. Without at least some rain in any given day, or at least a cloud or two on the horizon, I feel overwhelmed by the information of sunlight and yearn for the vital, muffling gift of falling water.” ― Douglas Coupland, Life After God

So  I am now in familiar environment. On this road I often run but I normally avoid it because it runs along the national road and I do not like the noise of the cars.

After 2,5 km I reach the Barwichgasse in Langenzersdorf, the street connecting the place with the Danube Bike Road and further with the Danube Island. The village is to the right and the Island is too the left. So I go to the left. It seems I am not wet enough :-)

I stop on the bridge. No people, no dogs.

I look to the river to Greifenstein, Tulln .... steam and rain. The waters are going high .... I cross the bridge and go down on the Danube Island turning right to the end of the Island, where I sometimes like to stay It is an interesting spot there, where the Island seems to go under waters ....

Strange feelings to be here, at the End ..... brown dirty water running in fast motion .... too fast motion ... water whirls ....

I run back but I don't return to the bridge. I would like to run for another 2-3 km. I cannot get more wet than I already am, right? It is 6 a.m.

I follow the Treppelweg to the wild side along the wild river, where the beaches and copses are.

 The first beach .... half of it is under waters ...

I run further .... but not for long .... as I already enter the Kingdom of Waters ....

so ..... I stay for a while and I return turning to the right and going on running on the island .... 

Wet landscape. High vegetation seems to be humble beat done due to the many heavy rain drops...

I took the first alley to the left running down to the other side of the island, where the swans are living. Empty, wet, no soul to be seen.

So, I put my soul and body on the road and I run back to the bridge. I was on the way back home now, still three and half km.

“It didn’t rain for you, maybe, but it always rains for me. The sky shatters and rains shards of glass.” ― Tablo, Pieces of You

The Danube Bike Road to Greifenstein, Tulln was blocked now, so if any long way cyclists (globe trotters kind) are now on their way on this popular route they have to stop for a while in Austria.

Now I start to feel wet indeed and to feel how I start to freeze. I had no gloves with me. I enter the village under the bridge and I now follow the Barwichgasse watching into peoples' yards :-) and surprising a nude lady in the garden, taking a natural shower :-)

And I remember about something .... taking natural showers under water falls in the mountains or bathing in mountains rivers .... exceptional life!

 I took many pictures, the last 2 km back home needed about half an hour :-0 !!

I finally reach home and I have to struggle into unlock my apartment door!! My hands are frozen, I cannot hit the door lock .... after 2 minutes the key is inside but I cannot turn it for unlocking the lock .... crazy few minutes, finally I am in!!!! I change my clothes, I take a sit, my cat is coming and I put my hands under her warm body :-) He loves me, I know!!

And now I eat .... hot rice with sugar and cinnamon. This is one of my childhood meals .....

 

Running in slow motion, dancing with the rain drops

Snails are my friends in certain times. Rain, wind and snails ...

A new day. Rainy day. Cloudy day. About 12°C.

Between the Beginning and the End there is always an Intermediate World. That is our Life.

After a new sleepless night I tried to have breakfast. I left the sheets at 10 a.m., I took the bread, butter, tea, croissant on the table on the loggia.

During the intended breakfast I did other VIT (Very Important Things) :-), such as cleaning the big windows of the loggia!! Cleaning the cat toilet. Sorting documents. Yes ... indeed ... everything else seemed to be suddenly more important than my breakfast .... The noon hours were knocking on the door ...  and I hardly tried to avoid thinking at these days I should have to be in Lanzarote preparing myself for an Ironman Race on a phenomenal volcanic island in the Atlantic ....

By Anka Berger - in Langenzersdorf, Vienna - May 2015

Yesterday I had to go for an appointment about 25 km away crossing Vienna from north to south, riding from the north end of the Danube Island to Simmering Place. Cold, windy, rainy day, frozen fingers. I left home 11:30 reaching the appointment point 12:45 and later riding back home on a different route through Vienna. Walking or riding through Vienna is always a piece of delicacy.

Today the same mood outdoor. 

A thick, milky clouds blanket was floating over the landscape around, hills and low mountains. Kahlenberg and Leopoldberg were hidden behind the steam curtain. Cold billion of rain drops were running in a real competition to the warm soil spoiled by a luxuriant spring. 

The colors of the entire nature were so strong and full of life on that milky background!

I decided to go out for a run. The rain was not so strong and a rain in the fresh chilli air is a wonderful thing. It's a better therapy for soul & mind than staying inside, alone.

I took the photo camera, the audio book and I left the room. 

I was not sure what direction I want to go. After 50 meters I started a slowly run and after 20 meters I stopped. I felt tired ... somehow unexpected tired. 

I started to walk and to enjoy taking pictures.

As everywhere in Austria, especially in small places, villages, you enter a fairy-tale world.

The seemingly simple crafts tradition has an important role in the entire national economy, I would dare to appreciate. There are people who are doing the work and there are people who are buying that products. And almost all homes, houses and gardens are particular enjoyable to be watched and admired. After one year I still cannot stop me to take all these pictures .... it is so much love for details in everything .... I adore this.

I slowly walked on the Kellergasse to the left, to the local museum - which, by the way, I should visit!

A very important role in the whole Austrian traditional atmosphere plays the nature, the plants, trees, flowers. "The Green Grass from Home" is very valuable here, a lot of houses are practically nestled in vegetation even if this needs a lot of work. But it is a good work, healthy work, enjoyable work and this is why most of people are hobby gardeners. It is a sort of therapy. Some are running, cycling, swimming, playing football and some are gardening.

It wasn't raining at that time. I decided to go off-road uphill on Bisamberg. Last time I was on that mountain?..... January I think.

Peaceful and silence, few people.

I entered the forest and starting to climb on a very narrow hidden mysterious path that meandered in front of my feet without letting me to have long visibility.

The rain started and being almost covered by vegetation I had the feeling the leaves are drinking all those rain drops.

I was walking paying attention to the rain song, to the path and to the leaves .... so I saw a worm ... yes, a worm with a strong personality ... I stopped to make a photo shooting and I saw how it took a sort of defensive position!! Or it is only my imagination?

It stopped crunching, stood up and curved like a viper and I expected it will jump and attack like a wild cat!! No joke, look to the picture, man!!

I carefully went further on the narrow path uphill thinking that I would avoid to get such of worms on my neck :-)

In the middle of the wet brown and green a marvelous blue caught my attention:

Rain started again ....

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