Ok I’ve come to terms with the fact that I won’t see any waves for another two weeks. There is lots of water in Austria in the form of lakes and creeks and rivers but they don’t make waves.
What Austria does have though is wind. So I was very excited to hear that the Surfworldcup was on at the biggest lake in Austria (as close as it gets to a sea in landlocked Austria). If I can’t get my wave fix, maybe I can get my surf fix at least, I thought. Well, it’s surfing with a disclaimer. Windsurfing and kitesurfing. Anyway, better than nothing and surely exciting to watch the world‘s best doing it. I was even more excited to find out that stand up paddle boarding made it’s way to Austrian ‘shores’ too.
I made my little sister who could not care less about surfing drive me there (thanks Iki). Little did I know then that the drive would be one of the highlights of the day with a 90ies revival…you won’t believe the CDs I found in my sister’s car…Roxette…Reggae celebration compilation ’97 only to name a few…
Anyway, after a two hour drive we got to Podersdorf at the Neusiedler See. I almost felt at home when we drove into the carpark. Lots and lots of cars with softracks and boards on the roofs. Lots of shops with surfboards and wetsuits, some board rentals….some surfers running around who did not look that different from your stereotype boardrider from Oz.
Then I saw the lake…it was flat, which is to be expected from a lake but it was kind of grey and brownish – not dirty just muddy my wise sister told me. It did not make it any more inviting. I dismissed the idea of a swim or a SUP session. We hired a paddleboat instead which turned out to be quite entertaining with my seasick and sunburnt sister – yet another highlight. I also figured the world cup should start soon anyway but then I noticed the absence of wind too. No kitesurfing comp either.
Hmm maybe that was a sign…a sign to not hold my breath anymore for any wave or surf related activity while I’m in Austria, enjoy my time with my family instead and just resume my addiction when I get back to Sydney…
I guess I can live with that…remember, you can take the gidget out of the surf but you can’t take the surf out of the gidget.
x Clauds
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