Fri, 10 February 2012
| Index | Last | Var.(%) |
|---|---|---|
| BEL 20 | 2244.17 | -1.17 |
| DAX | 6715.81 | -1.08 |
| IBEX 30 | 8824.9 | -0.87 |
| CAC 40 | 3392.39 | -0.94 |
| FTSE 100 | 5873.31 | -0.38 |
| AEX | 322.11 | -0.93 |
| DJIA | 12890.46 | 0.05 |
| Nasdaq | 2927.23 | 0.39 |
| FTSE MIB | 16522.27 | -0.79 |
| TSX Composite | 12497.94 | -0.18 |
| ASX | 4322.6 | -0.79 |
| Hang seng | 20783.86 | -1.08 |
| Straits Times | 2960 | -0.71 |
| ISEQ 20 | 502.39 | -0.26 |
Text size
The cold snap across Europe is enabling the Dutch to rediscover the pleasures of skating along the iced-over canals of Kinderdijk and its fairy-tale scenery of centuries-old windmills."What I love most is the crunching of the ice under the skates and the sensation of gliding," said Marie-Therese Sluijters-Rompa, 62, a retiree who came to this western Dutch village with her husband for a day of icy fun.
"This is the Netherlands at its prettiest," she said, elegantly dressed in a cream jacket, her eyes shining under a white bonnet. "We come to skate, to get out, but above all it is about being one with nature, the silence."
"It is a little piece of heaven."
All around her, dozens of other skaters, their cheeks red as apples and their caps pulled low over their eyes, flashed by -- their torsos slightly bent, hands crossed behind their backs, eyes looking straight ahead.
"It is perfect," sighed one happy skater.
Skating is traditionally the most popular winter pastime in the Netherlands, with thousands of Dutch leaping at the chance this winter to tie up their skates and glide across frozen lakes and canals.
Profiting from longest stretch of sub-freezing temperatures in 12 years, sports stores in the Netherlands are selling out of skates.
At Kinderdijk, which has the Netherlands' largest concentration of windmills, many skaters opt for Frisians -- a sharp blade mounted in wood, afixed to a normal shoe with thin leather straps.
Others prefer elegant white skating boots. But most favour so-called Norwegian skates, with the blade extending beyond the toe and heel.
The 19 windmills bordering the "Children's Dike" that gives Kinderdijk its name are classified a world heritage site by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Jaap de Vries, who lives in one of the windmills, on Friday mingled with skaters in yellow wooden clogs.
"I will be 70 next year, I am too old to skate," he told AFP. "But that doesn't mean I can't have my strolls in the sun."
Han van der Horst, a historian, explained that ice skating was an old Dutch passion that started in the Middle Ages when the winters were much colder than today.
"It was also functional," he said. "Until the 20th century, boats were the main means of transport, and thus ice on the canals was potentially disastrous. Skating was the only alternative."
Dik Larendijk, president of a skating club near Kinderdijk, said Dutch children learn to skate at a very young age.
"Dutch people grow up with water and ice. Skating is in their blood," he said.
Skating also appeals to a Dutch sense of egalitarianism, Van der Horst added. Quoting a colleague, Herman Pley, he said: "On ice, all the social differences disappear. Also the strong and mighty might fall down."
"These are circumstances the Dutch are fond of."
By Alix Rijckaert
AFP/ Expatica
A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.
Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
0
