Friends of ICARDA Reunion 2018
7-8 April 2018 | Algarve, Portugal
DAY 1
Our host, Peter Eichhorn, organised an outing on Saturday so we could see some of the spectacular scenery of the Algarve region of southern Portugal. We drove to the south-western most point of Europe, Cabo de São Vicente. We then climbed into the mountains to Monte Foia Monchique and lunched on a Portuguese favourite – Piri Piri chicken.
DAY 2
After a long hiatus, the Halab Hash House Harriers re-grouped and held a run on 8 April. Regrettably it was not in our home base of Aleppo. Instead, we ran in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Long-time ICARDA staff member and current resident of Praia da Luz, Peter ‘Beep Beep’ Eichorn, asked his new family, the Algarve Hash House Harriers to adopt the H4 for the run. The combined group numbered almost 50 Harriers.
Beep Beep and John ‘Strutting’ Peacock were the hares and set a course in the area of Parque de Merendas National Forest, near the village of Barao de Sao Joao. It was one of those days when you couldn’t decide whether to run with your rain jacket or not. Cloudy and cool one moment, warm and sunny the next.
We quickly learned that either Hashing had changed in 25 years or the Algarvians just do things differently than us Aleppians. Inaugural Hash Newsreel Padma kept her eyes glued to the Hare markings and spotted an arrow marked with an ‘R’ and another with a ‘W’. She looked ahead and saw others must have missed the marking because they were walking the (W)rong way. So she set off down the (R)ight way certain the others were on an on back. Fortunately, the Algarve HHH Grand Master walked by and questioned if Padma was a (R)unner or a (W)alker. Unlike the H4, the Algarve HHH set a slightly longer and more challenging course for runners. Most of the H4 group opted for the W route but Eunice Carter, Andrew Ferguson and Michael van Slageren kept pace with the handful of Algarve runners.
About halfway along the route we discovered another most welcome difference – the halftime beer truck. Julia Eichorn was awaiting us with beers, water and chocolate cake.
The Hares estimated that by the end of the Hash we had covered 10 kilometres. Rather than standing in the cold in the national forest, we formed a convoy and all went to Beep Beep’s home for the ‘Circle’. This proved to be a bit of a Hash culture shock for many of us as they clearly do things differently in Algarve. Our hosts were most generous and asked the H4 founding members to start the Circle off with the first Down Down. Eleven of the original 60 H4 Founding Members made it to Algarve. The Algarve Down Downs were a bit tame compared to ours. Rather than downing an entire bottle oAfter a long hiatus, the Halab Hash House Harriers re-grouped and held a run on 8 April. Regrettably it was not in our home base of Aleppo. Instead, we ran in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Long-time ICARDA staff member and current resident of Praia da Luz, Peter ‘Beep Beep’ Eichorn, asked his new family, the Algarve Hash House Harriers to adopt the H4 for the run. The combined group numbered almost 50 Harriers.
Beep Beep and John ‘Strutting’ Peacock were the hares and set a course in the area of Parque de Merendas National Forest, near the village of Barao de Sao Joao. It was one of those days when you couldn’t decide whether to run with your rain jacket or not. Cloudy and cool one moment, warm and sunny the next.
We quickly learned that either Hashing had changed in 25 years or the Algarvians just do things differently than us Aleppians. Inaugural Hash Newsreel Padma kept her eyes glued to the Hare markings and spotted an arrow marked with an ‘R’ and another with a ‘W’. She looked ahead and saw others must have missed the marking because they were walking the (W)rong way. So she set off down the (R)ight way certain the others were on an on back. Fortunately, the Algarve HHH Grand Master walked by and questioned if Padma was a (R)unner or a (W)alker. Unlike the H4, the Algarve HHH set a slightly longer and more challenging course for runners. Most of the H4 group opted for the W route but Eunice Carter, Andrew Ferguson and Michael van Slageren kept pace with the handful of Algarve runners.
About halfway along the route we discovered another most welcome difference – the halftime beer truck. Julia Eichorn was awaiting us with beers, water and chocolate cake.
The Hares estimated that by the end of the Hash we had covered 10 kilometres. Rather than standing in the cold in the national forest, we formed a convoy and all went to Beep Beep’s home for the ‘Circle’. This proved to be a bit of a Hash culture shock for many of us as they clearly do things differently in Algarve. Our hosts were most generous and asked the H4 founding members to start the Circle off with the first Down Down. Eleven of the original 60 H4 Founding Members made it to Algarve. The Algarve Down Downs were a bit tame compared to ours. Rather than downing an entire bottle of beer, the Beer Monitor provided a much more manageable small cup of beer.
Other Down Downs followed including one for those who were caught ‘fouling the Hash’ or rather pissing in the woods. A stuffed bird was thrown into the Circle and everyone squatted. Apparently the last person standing would have to lower their pants and sit on a block of ice until they told a joke.
Finally, our Dutch contingent – the van Gastels and van Slagerens – were called out to sing a song. It was most amusing to see them twirl about in locked arms while singing something about ‘Amsterdam’. Rain spared any other nationals from coming out to sing so we all – still about 40 of us – ran into Peter’s house for a great feed prepared by the Eichorns.
The beer ran out and in a blink all of the Algarve Hashers disappeared. We continued our more intimate ‘Circle’ and Hash Mouth Strutting Peacock tried to get us to fill in the blanks for some Hash names. We only settled for two: ‘Wine Walker’ for Marlene Diekmann and some initials for Julia Eichorn.
Finally, after a long convoluted discourse by Hash Mouth, he summarised that the group would meet again in two years. First option would of course be at home in Aleppo but if that’s not possible then other location candidates would be Beirut (hosted by Ben Wedeman – he doesn’t know that yet), Rhineland/Sinzig/Oberwinter/Bonn (hosted by Diekmanns and Majors) or Ireland (hosted by Peacock/Bramel).
ON ON!
