Ice skating

Last week the teperatures in Holland dropped to about -20 degrees celsius at night, which hadn't happened in twelve years!

Temperatures of this kind have a strange effect on the Dutch. All of a sudden all other news dissappears and ONE topic is of paramount importance. Will it happen....will we see the day again....could it be true?

Slowly little ponds, canals, streams and eventually lakes start freezing over. And then out of the blue it seems that every single Dutch person owns a pair of skates ánd knows how to skate ánd is prepared to face the cold and the possibility of disappearing under thin ice to do it.

'Ice Masters' start crawling out of their twelve-year hibernation and all eyes are on them. When can we go? Is it safe yet? Can we, can we pleeeaaase?

The Ice Masters appear on tv saying that we shouldn't all freak out because the "Journey of all Journeys" will have to wait until we have had at least ten straight days of -10 degrees. So we wait.

Ice skating is a skill that is supposed to be present in everyone that has Dutch blood running through their veins. You are supposed to be born with it. So I felt kind of awkward that I hadn't been on skates in twelve years and hadn't been any good then either...(I used to be on ice hockey skates to boot. "Which is more like walking on ice than actually skating" as I was told.)

Real Dutch skate on 'Noren', Vikings, Real Skates, leather shoes with huge butcher knives attached to them. Lethal when accidently falling over and having you hand skated over. Also lethal to those who don't know how to ride them. Like me.

Wilbert and his family on the other hand are proper Dutch. With proper skates. And a proper natural ice rink next to their house. So Wilbert was properly raised as a Dutch boy, standing on water as soon as it froze over and carrying on today on covered ice rinks where he skates once a week in winter. (Read: He is good and I suck)

So we went to Giethoorn (the Dutch Venice) to skate with Wilbert's family and to let me have my very first proper Viking experience. (On skates borrowed from Wilberts family)

We took the two hour drive to Giethoorn. Unfortunately it was definitely thawing. Now the normal human reaction would be to be scared to fall through the ice and die or at the least be very cold (as I was). But no! Not the Dutch! They stay on the ice until they can prove not to be Jesus.

I was aching everywhere after ten minutes. To make a long and embarrasing story short(ish): Wilbert pushed me back to our starting point and I enjoyed my hot chocolate and view of proper Dutch people for the rest of the day.

The day befoe I left, so last Thursday we went out again to skate near my moms house. This time I actually enjoyed the proper skating and the beautiful surroundings (I taped my ankles to keep them from spraining 300 times a minute) so YAY! Proper skating can now be ticked off my 'To do once in your life' list.

Now to get back to the Journey of all Journeys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfstedentocht

The last time this Journey of eleven Dutch cities, a skating marathon of 200 kilometers, was ridden was twelve years ago. The name of the winner of this race is remembered by all Dutchman. It is such a rare occurance that everyone looks forward to it with wild anticipation as soon as the thermometer hits -1.

Last week the Dutch championships have already been ridden. One hundred kilometers on natural ice. Men with frozen eyebrows drudge through dense mist to claim a title that might land them another twelve years of fame. The whole country goes insane. Maybe soon they will experience the Journey of all Journeys again.... Even my proper Dutch heart skips a beat.

For more wintery pictures see:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57860&l=5536e&id=565292619

Blissful Holidays

Yesterday I arrived back from Holland after almost four weeks of ultimate nothingness and extreme busyness. Obviously I haven't done half as much class work as I wanted to do nor half the catching up with people as I wanted, but still I found myself spending no more than three nights at a time in one place.

Wilbert and me had my mom's car to ourselves and I think we've spend a quarter of our time in it. Had no less fun than if we would have stayed in one place though!
I like driving with him (or actually him driving me :P). We talk, we sing with the radio, comment on ridiculous topics discussed on it and are just generally sitting next to eachother. Nice.

So we went from a birthday here to a Christmas dinner there to a Christmas breakfast way over there back to a New Years reception or ice skating or house-sitting or being ill way back over here.

I'll tell you about it in smaller portions :D

So now I am back in Glasgow. Started my first day typically by getting groceries through wind and rain and almost setting of the fire alarm.
(I actually did set it off but ran around closing doors, opening windows and freaking out until it stopped. You should've seen it...stupid toasters)