hanami [at home]

Argentan half-marathon

Today is the day of the Argentan half-marathon which I will not run this year as I have not yet fully recovered from my Achilles tendinitis. (If running too many days in a row, as I indulged in while in Salzburg, inflammation is back!) Frustrating, as this is my “race of the year” in the Norman countryside. But another break also occurred ten years ago, when I missed the 2009 and 2010 episodes. And somehow this is the “best year” to miss as I am switching to the next age group, V3 or grand-master!, in less than a month, and will thus end up as one of the youngsters in the next race I run! As an indicator, in the 5km trail I ran last Sunday in the Parc, I ended 4th (by one position and 6 seconds!) in my category and 2nd (by three positions and 16 seconds, plus a month!) in the following one.

turning forty…

The previous days have been rather tough thanks to another heat wave all over Europe, with the temperatures at home reaching above 40⁰ (outside) yesterday afternoon and more importantly not getting under 30⁰ inside the house at night, as there was no wind at all to cool it down. (Except in the basement  where I ended up sleeping.) After a certain point, as I am pretty susceptible to hot weather, working became impossible and I spent the rest of the day alternating between drinking cold water, taking cold showers, eating radishes, and watching low intensity movies (like The Crimes of Grindelwald!). The day before, my daughter and I tried a late afternoon trip to the nearby outside pool in the parc but this proved quite a disaster as it was so crowded that it was almost impossible to do laps (in a water of questionable composition). Temperatures are now down a wee bit but I wondering at ways to better insulate our house against what is becoming the new “normal”…. Like installing a massive circus tent every summer.

花見 [cherry blossom]

X de Sceaux 2018 [20:25, 14/185, 2/21]

Without any preparation [apart from my daily jog], I signed for the 5k in my local park, two days before the race, the 43rd trail of Sceaux. As it had snowed a lot in the past week, the race was mostly on (in?) slush, if not overly slippery, the remaining part being enjoyably muddy! I did a fairly poor time but still managed to squeeze in between the first and the third runners in my V2 (Grand Masters) category. With a 4 seconds differential each time!

 

Die Zauberflöte

Attending Mozart’s Zauberflöte last week at the Volksoper Wien was a great reward for taking part in this (somewhat gruesome) grant evaluation! The atmosphere was relaxed, with loads of families and (very well-behaved!) young children [all siding for Papageno!] And the opera was given from a 2005 production, with a fast-paced orchestration and a great female singer cast (as opposed to the last time I saw the opera in Sceaux, when the Queen of the Night had botched her major arias!), if less so on the male singer side, Papageno excepted. (Sarastro barely audible in the lowest notes…) The three boys were fantastic as well. (As usual, I find the plot  incomprehensible, with Sarastro and his cult (and the kidnapping of his daughter) as despicable as the Queen’s moral pressure on Pamina…)

When running towards the Donauinsel in the early morning the next day, I saw this poster and realised the same Zauberflöte was played in another Viennese theatre, which is amazing, given that the Staatoper will also give it next December. Or not if considering that a part of Vienna’s attraction is this rich music scene.

trick or treat?!

Two weeks ago, we went to a local restaurant, connected to my running grounds, for dinner. While the setting in a 16th building that was part of the original Sceaux castle was quite nice, the fare was mediocre and the bill more suited for a one star Michelin than dishes I could have cooked myself. The height (or rather bottom) of the meal was a dish of sardines consisting in an half-open pilchard can… Just dumped on a plate with a slice of bread. It could have been a genius stroke from the chef had the sardines been cooked and presented in the can, alas it sounded more like the act of an evil genie! Or more plainly a swindle. As those tasty sardines came straight from the shop!