Carpe Diem. Seize the day! How often do we wait too long to do things, and then they’re gone?
For the past couple of weeks the whole of Holland has been lacing on its skates and hitting the canals. Yesterday I decided I’m going to join them.
I don’t know exactly where I’ll end up, but as I mailed a friend I was supposed to go out for a beer with:
I get Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, and after seeing some amazing video yesterday at work of Dutch people skating on the canals and the windmills in the background and chowing down on pea soup and then after finding some pics on this site of more skaters and more windmills…. man, if I don’t go and it suddenly warms up, I’ll be so pissed off at myself!
So I’m going to head out early-early Friday morning with lots of coffee, hot chocolate, cold pizza, a map, some money for a hotel night or two, maybe even my hockey stick and puck. Hopefully the sunglasses will come in handy.
I’m really sorry to have to cancel on you, because I know we don’t get the chance to get together that often, but the last time winter was this good for skating was more than a decade ago. If it stays cold long enough, there might even be a return of this amazing skating tour where they go in a 200km circle through 11 towns via the lakes and canals.
Last time the ice was thick enough to do that was 1997. If they open it up I’m going to try to make that as well.
For the first time in 12 years they’re holding speed skating races on natural ice, so that’s a good sign.
Thanks to flickr user wilbertbaan for the top photo and to fransdewit for the one at bottom.
Sounds perfect! Do let us know how it goes. Good skating.
Gorgeous pictures!
I’m lucky ever to see frost on the roof tops here in Alabama, but I did take a trip to Pennsylvania over the holidays. I walked outside one morning for a cigarette in 5 degree weather with my hair wet. My hair froze!!! Which, I know, what the hell did I expect!?! 5 degrees. Still. Weird.
(BTW, I’m nearing the end of the Follet novel I mentioned. I feel like I’ve lived another life through that story. Love it.)
That’s awesome. I would so be there if I could. Enjoy and take some of your usual uber-cool pics
This is very cool and the pictures are great–the canal ice looks good in these and other photos that I’ve seen. I got to skate in Amsterdam and in Friesland in 1996. It was an amazing experience. I live in California now and I’m even toying with the idea of going to the Netherlands as soon as I can, but its difficult given the short notice and expense right now and the massive jet lag for the remaining time as it may warm up next week.
Check out my website–I’m trying to do a personal canal-skate marathon in the USA near Chicago if conditions permit. http://www.illinoistocht.com
Hi illinois – I’d never done this before today, and let me tell you – if they open up the 11-city tour, I’d make the trip even from across the pond if I had the time.
Just finished day one … what an incredible day. There has been no wind so the entire landscape between Hamburg and Amsterdam is covered in hoarfrost – every twig glistening white. I wanted to whoop with joy as soon as the narrow channel of ice opened up into this huge expanse of ice and frost. Great atmosphere with so many people out enjoying nature and sport. Skated a 25km loop today, hope to do the same or more tomorrow, then head early Sunday toward Rotterdam for the last day for a Windmill tour.
Only one drawback – hockey skates! Everyone glides effortlessly by on their speed skates.
@Pete – there will be pics!
Reminds me of the ol’ days on the canal as a youth, with a wine skin, a XXXX, and alot of laughs! Bon tour!
Wow, that looks so cool! I wish I knew how to skate.
You should try one of the tours if you get a chance…check out the KNSB website for info at http://www.knsb.nl and try to toertachten page or just find it on there (they’ve had to change their website due to a crush of traffic). One midweek tour had 20,000 participants show up and 250 members of the newsmedia.
However, only a lucky few actually get to do the real Elfstedentocht. The best you can hope for is to be in the lottery to gain a start spot. And somebody told me that if you just try to skate it they’ll pull you off the ice and confiscate your skates.
Looks like really good smooth ice from the photos, but if it gets bumpy you’ll be happy for the greater rocker arc on your hockey blade as it won’t catch in a rut like a flat speedskate blade.
Keep those reports and photos coming!
oo! have fun.
Hi Illinoistoct again,
I managed to decipher the Dutch on the knsb.nl site well enough to figure out how to get to the Molentocht (Windmill Tour) today. It was incredible! Did a 40-km circuit, plus two side trips to see the clusters of Windmills at Kinderdijk. What an atmosphere – tens of thousands of people out in the biting cold, smiling, laughing, enjoying the unique opportunity. Just saw the weather report and it’s supposed to start warming up on Tuesday, so I’m really glad to have done this.
Feet a bit sore though…
Hi beave! Do you mean the canals in Ottawa? I’ve been skating there only once… sometime in 1991 or ‘92 I think.
What does the extra X mean?
Hi Jan, you will love globosapiens and – as you are certainly capable of express yourself, when I only read the letter to your friend – than you will find that website of globosapiens very good.
A report about skating the canals and lakes in the Netherlands would be very interesting.
Hieronyma
Gorgeous pictures! Skating the canals looks like so much fun as well as being spiritually connected to such splendid beauty. It’s so important to take some time for oneself and enjoy the beauty of nature while getting some healthy exercise.
Hello there,
I enjoyed the pictures. It’s been many years since I’ve gone ice skating and now I’m feeling nostalgic.
Hi.
I was Google-ing for some frozen skating venues when I happened upon your page.
Awesome pics. It is exactly what I’ve been looking for, for many a year.
I was just wondering if you had any idea as to the rough dates which the canals are frozen…I’d hate to turn up and skate on ice that is just the wrong side of frozen.
Also, is the Windmill tour an annual thing.
I am really keen to partake and thus far you are the only person I’ve encountered who has actually done this.I would really appreciate some info.
I am going to look at the knsb site and see if I can decipher it.
Hopefully chat sometime.
Darren.
darrenlocations@yahoo.co.uk
Hi Darren,
I was lucky enough to be able to get over to Holland for three days in January of this year. That was the first time in 12 years that all the canals were allowed open for skating. The temperature has to be well below freezing for several days if not weeks at a time for the ice to be thick to accommodate the thousands who throng atop it. Nobody can say how often it will open, because it all depends on the weather.