Jump into the Danube? Never!
It's only when a sheet of ice slowly drifts past the banks of the Danube that I realize what all these people have let themselves in for. Over 2200 people have registered for the annual, four-kilometer Danube swim in Neuburg an der Donau – in January. It must be in January, of course, since the Danube swim is also a carnival parade, where all the participants dress up and pull boats behind them that look like the carnival floats in Mainz, Cologne, and Düsseldorf.
Nevertheless, even away from the water, in the wide alleys of the old town, between the castle and the town hall, it's so cold that you have to warm up in one of the numerous cafés every twenty minutes at the latest. You can't drink enough tea to warm yourself up, despite gloves, a winter jacket, and several layers of clothing. Snow lies everywhere; in some places, the Danube is even completely frozen over. The water temperature is below two degrees Celsius. Some weather stations predict that January 2017 will be the coldest January in 30 years.
Jump into the Danube in January? A sudden image of Leonardo DiCaprio clinging desperately to a wooden board after the sinking of the Titanic, completely cold, suddenly appears in my mind's eye. How he can barely utter a word from his trembling lips. How his skin is turning increasingly blue. No, no horde of mammoths, polar bears, and yetis would take me into the Danube in January. Never!
"Isn't what we're doing here a bit crazy?" shouts one of the participants shortly before the parade starts. He's wearing a full clown costume over his wetsuit, including the red nose. "Yeah, but where else do people do something like that?" calls back a man wearing a large inflated dolphin on his head, toasting it with his thermos. In fact, few people here seem to be thinking about the water temperature, the time of year, or even DiCaprio. Music is playing everywhere, dancing and laughter are heard. Flamingos hug polar bears, frogs meet cheerleaders, and the unicorns line up directly behind the parade boat, which is criticizing the new US President Donald Trump. The 2200 individual, daring people become one large unit that, after the start, loudly cheers at the opportunity to jump into the ice-cold water. All of this is rewarded by around 20.000 spectators who line the waterfront promenade and cheer the participants on.
No, I think in the end, no horde of mammoths, polar bears, and yetis would bring me into the Danube in January. But the good atmosphere, the community among the participants, and the experience would.
