Does It Snow In Holland: It Sure Bloody Does And People Go Ice Skating Too
Is it cold in The Netherlands (for an Australian)? It sure bloody is! It hit -19 degrees at one point so far!
Finally, I actually LIVE in a country where it snows. I’m not just ‘visiting’ the snow anymore, I’m living in it 🙂
That’s fun for a kid that grew up in the sand and sun of Australia. I have seen snow in Australia of course, and even been snowboarding and skiing there, but it’s not the same. Plus, European snow is better, right?
Mad juggling skills alert!
It is nice to get a real winter for a change, even though the Dutch love to moan and groan about it. Apparently in Rotterdam, when it snows a bit, everything stops working. The trams and the metros can’t possible run anymore, and the city likes to give the appearance of being unable to cope. There were 800km traffic jams coming into/out of Rotterdam!
Poor duckies lose most of their home for a while when the ice freezes over. That kid on the sled sure looks like he is having fun though!
If you like ice skating however, then the snow is bad news as it makes all the precious lakes and canals ‘vuil ijs’ (dirty ice) instead of nice clean glassy ice for skating on. I did go ice skating the other day with some skates I found at the second hand shop beneath our unit here in Rotterdam (it’s awesome – I brought some snow boots from there the other day too!). The ice was a bit bumpy, and was indeed dirty ice. But it was fun and a great atmosphere – I’ve never skated outside under the sky before, so that was a beautiful experience.
Me after riding the Dirty Ice. Sounds dodgy, doesn't it.
When it is time for ice and skating, the Dutch setup caravans with snacks and food and speakers with music and really go at it. Believe it or not, it doesn’t snow or ice over enough to skate every year – so sometimes they just have to put up with the crappy weather without any of the fun!
Trudy’s been having fun in the snow too!
Lucky Trudy's aim is so bad, she makes a great snow angel though!
We shot some footage to try and capture the Dutch atmosphere when it comes time for skating and mucking about in the snow. Trudy edited up a short video that encapsulates it all quite well.
I expect there will be more fun to come this winter. It might be completely flat here, but at least they still get snow although there are not too many (none) options for down hill skiing and snowboarding.
4 Responses to “Does It Snow In Holland: It Sure Bloody Does And People Go Ice Skating Too”
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If you want to see a country go to pot when the weather does something odd, you should try living in the UK for a while 😉 The place falls apart if leaves come off the trees! I am enjoying this cold snap too it must be said.. and I’ve got the snow angels outside my window to prove it!
Hah, yeah I can imagine the UK doesn’t do to well with snow! 😀 I need some better ‘snow clothes’ for my wardrobe, but there doesn’t seem like much point since it’s not supposed to snow again!
aww the video is so cute! It’s great to see you guys in action.. we should skype more. I miss you 🙁
I just moved to Rotterdam, this is coming a bit as a surprise. But oh well, I hope we get some good snow then. Cheers!