Waiting for the Winter

When Jack Frost turns the land of water into a land of ice, it is time for the Dutch to get their skates on. Nowhere in the world are people as passionate about skating as in the Low Countries. It is therefore no surprise that Dutch skaters win so many medals at international events. However, this sacred national custom is first and foremost simply an enjoyable pastime.

First Steps

One thing that primitive and modern skaters have in common is that they probably all took their first tottering steps on the ice leaning on a kitchen chair.

Fun

IJspret (Ice fun) is what Dutch people call their antics on the thin blades.The first suggestion of frost is enough to get the entire country sharpening their skates, and as soon as a thin layer of ice appears on the water the daredevils rush excitedly to the nearest pond or canal.

Eleven Cities

Well, yes, they have gone a bit mad when the Eleven Cities Tour is about to start in Leeuwarden. This is a two-hundred kilometre skating tour that passes through eleven cities in the Dutch province of Friesland.