kyrkan

Antarctica Church Tour

Published January 30, 2020

Trinity Church

There are eight churches on the Antarctic continent. Today I visited 2.

Notta lotta night this time of year; lights up at 3am. Hung shoreside while my tent mates slept. Group-sheltered quietly with a couple other early risers. Introspective, soulful. They drank coffee; I finished off the bottom bits of my Chips bag. Breakfast of Champions🏅

Do we stay or do we go-go? Eat light. May be same food selection tomorrow.

Picked up littered clothing outside & around my tent. PITCH BLACK last night as I stripped naked. FOCUS: Warm clothes on a wet body to avoid hypothermia. Holding a flashlight in my mouth, wasn’t super agile nor worried ‘bout keeping the outdoors tidy. Cozy sleeps though. My new $70 [sleeping bag] liner – well worth the crazy price tag. Good on you, REI 😊

Mile+ walk on the same path worn yesterday, Chile’s Chapel of St. Mary Queen of Peace. Simple parish church. Most visited/used by locals. More elaborate & ornate, Russia’s Trinity Church. Location, location, location. Church sits prominent atop a hill overlooking Bellingshausen Station. Its foundation & structure literally anchored/tied into the surface to withstand winter’s hurricane-force wind. One of the most notable & eye-catching landmarks on King George. ‘Bottom of the World’ wedding ceremonies, stunning glacier overlook.

Wrap it up, pack it up. Radio word to our Coordinator. Plane has left Chile.

GROUP pics & goodbyes. Journey end; HEADING HOME.

: journey END

: Chapel of St. Mary

: Russian Orthodox 🇷🇺

: Trinity OVERLOOK

: medal BLING🏅

: Triple 8 FINISH

: next stop, HOME

Triple 8 FINISH

Posted in Antarctica, Triple 8 Quest | Tagged kyrkan | Leave a comment

Wachau Marathon

Published September 29, 2019

Hillside vineyards, alpine meadows & die river Danube. Race DAY!

10k, Half & 42k distance. Sis & I would wait an hour to board a marathon bus to Emmersdorf. Rest of the trip family, an 8am start. WhatsApp pics started flooding our phones by mile 12. Family showered & beautiful by the Wonder Twins’ afternoon finish.

High sun, skies warming. Edelweiss AND fish-on-a-stick. Pre-race FISH? PipiBox – check. Kleider bus ‘bag drop’ – check, check. Last to-do’s to-done. Run ready.

Fünf, vier, drei, zwei, eins. Go, go, go!

Keep the heart rate down. Gonna get warm today. Steady even pace.

5k bike-path loop ’round Emmersdorf before darting on Austria’s B 3 river-road (Donau Bundesstraße). Easy flat course – not a Boston qualifier, but a PR for many. Road-run exposed/open to traffic. Comfortable temps early, didn’t overheat ‘til 2 hours in.

Mile 10. PipiBox queue. Managed a legit washroom for Sis at the Fire House (3 semesters of college German/I can talk toilet). Sie ist mein Schwester. LOL> Short, quick stop — oompah oompah accordion music — & on our way. Danke, viel danke.

Where are you from? Colorado, always. Folks know the Rockies. Generally takes politics outta the conversation. One officer wanted to Trump-jabber. No sprechen sie. Danke 😊

Town tour of Spitz. Waved to boats on the Donau. Whatta experience!

Mile 20. Head demons, got quiet, went dark. Notta warm weather runner. Sis tried but even Pollyanna couldn’t quell the Kraken. Was throwing water cups by 23. Took a walk break. Helped turn the frown upside down. Easy walk/jog pace last 2k into Krems.

Could hear German now, half-mile to Finish. push, PUSH, push. SEVEN on holiday, SEVEN wore medals. Well done, us! Check & done. AUSTRIA! Two kids from Possum Holler – look at us now, Ma! ❤️

Train transfer back, my Amazing Race ended. Airport hotel, flight home 5am early.

First Stop: Ukraine. Fingers crossed. Europe on a Budget.

22. Int. WACHAUmarathon 2019

Ergebnisliste Marathon – 42.195m

2019-09-29

8835 Haga Keenan USA Colorado 2:21:53 4:53:57

: marathon START

: FISH on a STICK

: Aggstein Castle

: Danube cruise

: Wehrkirche St. Michael

: Weißenkirchen

: Fire House relief

: Pipi Box 💩

: Wachau Valley wine

: die Wonder Twins

: last 2k into Krems

: push, PUSH, push

: alpine FINISH

: SEVEN medals 🥇

: thanks Sis ❤️

Wachau Marathon

Posted in Europe, Marathons/Ultras | Tagged kyrkan, watercraft | Leave a comment

Krems an der Donau

Published September 28, 2019

Nächster Halt: St. Pölten Hbf

Fast jog on the platform, down steps/up steps, across tracks, next train awaiting.

Day start in Vienna. Van to Hauptbahnhof, train travel west to Krems (via St. Pölten Station).

Run-weather arrived day early. Cooler temps, misty rain. Taxi UP UP to Steigenberger Spa, our pre-race digs. Mountainside resort. Hot tub, pool, fancy robes & slippers – Sis did us right.

Retracked down to Town Centre. Pasta lunch, my second Wachau EXPO this trip (Vienna 3 days prior), then a scenic walk-about UP UP UP past cathedrals, vacation villas & hillside vineyards. Weingut (the local word). And a lot of ‘em. Packet pick-up included 2 BOTTLES of white.

SPA DAY. Indoor swim, sauna, outdoor tub. R-E-L-A-X 😊

Watched an over-achiever trail-run up the vineyard mountainside. Accompanied by a cyclist, far far in the distant. Much more entertaining watchin’/kickin’ back in a tub of warm alpine bubbles. LOL>

Dinner, sleeps, morning marathon. Emmersdorf to Krems, race route an-der-Donau. Flat trek along Europe’s iconic flume. Every day (3 countries, 4 cities) same constant, die river Danube. Perfect!

Tomorrow: 42k in Austria’s Wachau Valley. YODEL on!