Viennese Escapes: Sunrise Along Lake Neusiedl

Dawn to Sunrise
As the sun slowly
climbs over the horizon
of the eastern sky,

the yellow fruits
of a wild yellow plum tree

reflect and multiply
the early sunrays' light.

Kriecherl
I found this wild growing, not grafted yellow plum -
native to Europe and the Caucasus -
in a thicket of woods along
the reedbeds of Lake Neusiedl.
The grass beneath the tree was strewn
with freshly fallen, sun-ripened fruits,
glistening in the morning dew.
I picked up a few:
They tasted like nourishment
from heaven!

Kriecherl
is the Austrian term for Krieche, *
also known as Hafter- or Pflaumenschlehe.

This wild mirabelle
reminds me of Dawson plums,
but with yellow, softer flesh that melts on the tongue,
bursting with apricot and honey flavours.
A spoonful of Kriecherl jam
on your toast on a dreary winter morning
takes you instantly
back to warm August days!

* Prunus domestica ssp. insititia Syn.:
Prunus insititia/insiticia

Photographed by Merisi
Along the shores of Lake Neusiedl
near Illmitz
in the early hours of
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lake Neusiedl-Seewinkel
National Park
Less than an hour's drive
south of Vienna