Splashing About

Moin Moin Dear Reader,

There are some occasions that happen once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. For this semester, this event was the Venus Transit - the direct passing of Venus between Earth and the Sun, which will happen again in 105years time. Knowing that it was unsafe to stare straight at the sun, we thought we had a genius solution - using the Bodensee as a huge reflection for the sun and the tiny black spot of Venus.

We agreed to meet at Hörnle (a large park-beach area that sticks out into the Bodensee, giving us a view that would not be obscured by artificial lights) shortly before dawn. As compensation for getting up so early and joining me to stare at the sky, my friends made me promise that I would swim with them in the Bodensee while the sun was coming up. Naïvely I agreed to their conditions, having a child-like faith that the clouds would magically clear and I could distract my friends with this astronomic phenomenon, such that they would forget I agreed to swim with them.

This did not happen...the sky remained resolutely clouded over and this is how I found myself going for a clip in the Bodensee at about half five in the morning. Quite possibly one of the coldest things I have encountered but despite this, and the fairly strong current, I did manage to swim out to one of the pontoons - doing a good impression of an overexcited wet puppy, while my friends sped off as though they had grown fins (obviously, they don't share my aversion to the cold water quite so much.

Having complained profusely throughout, I am pleased I have done it - it seems strange to live next to such a beautiful lake for almost a year (where tourists come to in order to enjoy the water). I'm not sure I have the confidence to jump off the Fahrradbrücke into the Rhein though - apparently some sort of rite of passage for Konstanz Seehasen - evidently, I'm not ready for full integration quite yet...