What the hell am I doing in Paris?
Talk about horrible timing. Don’t make me wrong, I like being here, my old friend and I are having a great time and we’ve still got lots of things lined up to do, BUT:
The famous Dutch 11-city skating tour might be announced this week!
There have been thousands of volunteers working to prepare the course. All that remains is the go-ahead that the ice is safe enough with an overall thickness of at least 15cm. If the race actually happens, 16,000 people will take part for the first time in 15 years. The canals have frozen enough to skate a couple of times since then, but never enough to allow the Dutch to re-open this legendary race.
Not that I’d actually be foolish enough to punish myself with more than 200 km of skating in one go. My legs were rubber after about 70km three years ago, and that was just leisurely sliding all day. These guys go flat out – the record is under seven hours!
I have to arrange time off to get over there. It has to stay cold another few days after I get back. Damn you, Paris.
The banner photograph shows the town of Britannia Beach, BC, Canada, where I grew up. It's home. But I don't live there anymore.
My skates arrived yesterday, but I don’t think I will be ready to hit the NL with you this year:-). It’s just snowing heavily now, though.
Since you didn’t leave a link to your marvelous post about your previous experience of skating in Holland I did it for you.
That was one of the most magical posts – I can only imagine your frustration at (sigh) having to be in Paris (oh, woe) while skating conditions in Holland (yes?) are just marvelous.
Maybe Holland will accomodate you by staying frozen for a while!
I have studiously avoided going onto any site that might show the skating, just so I won’t be tempted to say screw it and book a train north! But I’m flying back on Sunday and maybe a skate around the Alster – Hamburg’s huge city-centre lake – will be enough for now. I can’t see it staying this cold forever. Of course if it does, I just might go back to Holland, if only for a day or two.
Wow, sounds like quite an event!
What a great photo. Sound amazing…must put on my list to do…watch, that is, no way could actually skate at that level!