How a weather can change, from one end of the city to the other. As we parted for our weekly therapeutical swim last weekend, the sun was shining upon the empty streets and making the asphalt reflect.
A lonely streetcar sits at the stop, waiting for passengers
In a car, it feels like it's the dead of summer lull, where people have driven off to their summer homes and the early evening heat has everyone else hiding in their homes.
It's strange, to see such little vehicles in the city. But as we approach the sea and pass by the promenade, pedestrians line the sidewalk. People jogging, sitting on benches and reading, biking, anything to get out of house and move.
The further we drive, the closer we get to the massive wall of fog. People say that most fog is the same as clouds, except coastal fog, where salt crystals play a part. Go figure now, is this clouds or salt we're driving into now.
When we reach the marina, there is no sun, just a thick moist mass. Barely a few people walking around, it almost feels like a nightmare dream. Now all we need is dead silence and I'll be creeped out right here.
The promenade along the river estuary has only two people walking and even they look like they're going to run home any second now
We've made it to the swimming point. This is where the winter swimmers meet, hang in the sauna and enjoy the cold water.
Unfortunately, all places like this are closed at the moment, so no sauna. The saunas are nice here, they have large windows opening towards the sea, so you can see people going in the water. It's often a funny sight, as it's very stormy here usually - while you're relaxing in the sauna, people outside face the storm and hang their towels on the railings, which the wind blows away while they swim.
There's probably tens and tens of towels in the bottom there :)
Luckily, no-one can stop us from swimming. We undress behing the containers that house the saunas and dip in. First one to touch the closest boat wins. I've gained a few kilograms, so even in water, I move slow and so I lose :)
It's either the water has gotten warmer or we've gotten more used to the cold water - we stay in a minute and half easily, and probably could have stayed even more. I think the water has definitely got warmer, it could be around 4-5 degrees here, it doesnät bite a chunk out of your butt as you struggle to keep resolute and not jump immeditalely out of the water.
But when we finally come out, our bodies produce heat in such amounts, I still fill euphoric later back at home. Worries dissipate and mind rests. It's like a good exercise - good for your body and mind.
Someone forgot their socks here. These socks suck.
PS. The sun was shining full steam again when we got back home.
