We Dutch just love winter, at least... most of us do! A few degrees below zero and we Dutch cannot wait putting on our skates. But why are the Dutch so keen on an icy and snowy winter? Well, it is just in our genes and as it not possible to ice skate on open water every year, we looking forward for every chance. Especially the Dutch are looking forward to the world famous ‘Elfstedentocht’, a 200 kilometers long ice skating tour along eleven cities in the province Friesland (a province which we will also discuss in the upcoming weeks on our blog). This tour was last held in 1997, 15 years ago! The average number of participants of the Elfstedentocht is 16.000! (http://www.elfstedentocht.nl). Many speculations about a potential upcoming ‘Elfstedentocht’ are going around at this moment as the temperature is dropping. Watch this blog. We will keep you updated if this event really takes place!
If you are in Holland and it is possible to skate on open water, you can try on many places! In Holland you are allowed to skate whenever you like and wherever you can (you have to be careful though). If you don’t have any skates, you can hire them at local ice skating clubs, so don’t worry. Do you want some more information? You can look it up at http://www.schaatsen.nl (in Dutch). Moreover, at http://www.knsb.nl and the previously mentioned website, you can find some safety tips.
Some local tips for winter in Holland:
- If it snows, try not to travel by public transport. (Just stay home and enjoy J )
- If you want to ice skate on natural ice, make sure the ice is thick enough to skate!
- Dress warmly!
- Watch out for ice holes.
- Enjoy a hot chocolate or try some ‘snert’ (a traditional Dutch split pea soup).
We wish you a nice, icy, snowy winter! JCheck out our facebook page for new photos of the Dutch winter! :) https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holland-Hopping/348884058463097
Holland Hopping
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