Icecapades
Feb. 14th, 2021 12:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzOne cold winter, when I still lived in Rotterdam, it was cold enough that there was ice. I didn't have ice skates, despite skating as a kid and a ton of good memories (and some wobbly ankles too). I ordered a pair of Viking ice skates with a sturdy boot like hockey skates, but a long blade like the traditional noren that my ankles can't abide. (Combinoor skates)
It took two weeks for the ice skates to arrive, and by then the ice had already disappeared of course. One day, though. *shakes fist*
We moved to Tilburg and once I lived there I remember there was one winter in 2012 where there was again, ice to skate on. I had no idea where it would be safe to go skating and where it would be fun. I remember cycling around for a bit but never really finding a spot to skate and my new ice skates, now several years old already, were still unused.
I moved to Eindhoven in 2014 and since I've lived here there was one winter where it was cold enough that we could skate. Again: I didn't know where to go ice skating and finally I asked Sigunne. She said that near the IJzeren Man there was skating, but this was quite a bit away from where I lived, and I didn't see how to get there. The thaw set in soon after that and I didn't go skating.
A week ago twenty centimeters of snow fell and the temperatures dropped below zero. It wasn't really cold once the wind died down a bit, and I suspected it was above 0°C during the day, but soon enough stories came on the news: Nederland is skating on ice!
Again with the doubt. Where can one safely skate? Luckily, there was an app for it. The NOS article said the person moderating the app checked all reports, and would only set a location to green if multiple reports came in of how it was safe. That gave me hope. The Karpendonkse plas near the IJzeren Man seemed safe enough, several notifications, not quite green yet, but three postive reports made me hopeful.
I checked the map. It was still quite far to cycle and I was struck with irrational doubt. Could you even get there by car (we have my mom's car on loan) or would you have to walk too far from where you parked. Wouldn't it be terribly busy? Can you even get close to the ice? What if I fell and couldn't get up? What if I fell through the ice?
All these years I've never been a particularly anxious person, but the uncertainty about finding a place to go skating was crippling. Eisirt had worked the night shifts and couldn't tag along -- and he didn't have ice skates either, so it would mostly just be a great way for him to catch a cold. I didn't have anyone else I could go with. Marjolinda had other plans, and Bee was emphatically not an ice skating person.
Even though my brother offered to take me along, he wanted to get to the ice early, and I didn't relish the thought of driving an hour and a half to get there at the ass-crack of dawn either.
My mother sent me a screenshot of two places in Eindhoven that would be safe: the Karpendonkse Plas (at the IJzeren Man), and Recreatieplas Hanevoet. I was ecstatic! We sometimes walked around the Recreatieplas Hanevoet, it was quite close to home, and I was familiar there. No doubt about if I could get close -- I could cycle there in five minutes and toss my bike in the bushes and be gone.
I asked Vera if she had seen people skating there, but she told me there were still large patches not frozen over at all. It wouldn't be safe.
And when I couldn't find anyone to go ice skating with yesterday, I cried. It felt horrible. I should have just grabbed my ice skates and figured it out, but by the time it was 4 o'clock it felt like it was too late to go out.
Finally, desperately, I posted on Ravelry.
And an hour later I had a blind date to go ice skating with Petra. She trains with the local ice club and didn't mind me tagging along. She told me where we could meet up and gave me an address to navigate to. Although there were some iron fences blocking the road (probably because of overwhelming number of cars turning up at the Sumatralaan the day before) the road ran right by the Karpendonkse plas. It was just before 8 am and mine was just the fourth car there.
It was a wide open place, lots of cracks in the ice which was a bit hard to get used to. I was still a little hesitant to get going, but I was comforted by the idea that someone was there to help pick me up, call an ambulance, or maybe even laugh at me. (My mind goes to the weirdest places)
The first few strokes were VERY careful. But it was clear my new skates (new, AND ten years old) were sturdy enough to support my ankles. And the muscle memory kicked in well enough: it was quite easy to get back in the swing. The cracks were really hard, and my endurance was appalling, but I spent a good hour just going around the lake at my own pace. I fell a couple of times (don't try to make a video while skating, people) and I'll have a blue hip and blue knees to remind me of this awesome and wonderful trip.
Petra and her skating friend also invited me to try out a lesson at their ice skating club, which actually sounds like a wonderful idea. I also told Eisirt a pair of inline skates would make a great birthday gift. I've always loved skating, and it would be a great way to get back into shape. The fact I was huffing and puffing like my asthmatic 76 year old grandfather was when he was just sitting quietly at a table is, as always, quite the wake-up call.
It was glorious and HOT. I took of my knitted hat and stuffed my gloves in a pocket. After taking off my skates, I relaxed with a hot cup of tea I had brought along, and really took in the view. What a wonderful trip!
It took two weeks for the ice skates to arrive, and by then the ice had already disappeared of course. One day, though. *shakes fist*
We moved to Tilburg and once I lived there I remember there was one winter in 2012 where there was again, ice to skate on. I had no idea where it would be safe to go skating and where it would be fun. I remember cycling around for a bit but never really finding a spot to skate and my new ice skates, now several years old already, were still unused.
I moved to Eindhoven in 2014 and since I've lived here there was one winter where it was cold enough that we could skate. Again: I didn't know where to go ice skating and finally I asked Sigunne. She said that near the IJzeren Man there was skating, but this was quite a bit away from where I lived, and I didn't see how to get there. The thaw set in soon after that and I didn't go skating.
A week ago twenty centimeters of snow fell and the temperatures dropped below zero. It wasn't really cold once the wind died down a bit, and I suspected it was above 0°C during the day, but soon enough stories came on the news: Nederland is skating on ice!
Again with the doubt. Where can one safely skate? Luckily, there was an app for it. The NOS article said the person moderating the app checked all reports, and would only set a location to green if multiple reports came in of how it was safe. That gave me hope. The Karpendonkse plas near the IJzeren Man seemed safe enough, several notifications, not quite green yet, but three postive reports made me hopeful.
I checked the map. It was still quite far to cycle and I was struck with irrational doubt. Could you even get there by car (we have my mom's car on loan) or would you have to walk too far from where you parked. Wouldn't it be terribly busy? Can you even get close to the ice? What if I fell and couldn't get up? What if I fell through the ice?
All these years I've never been a particularly anxious person, but the uncertainty about finding a place to go skating was crippling. Eisirt had worked the night shifts and couldn't tag along -- and he didn't have ice skates either, so it would mostly just be a great way for him to catch a cold. I didn't have anyone else I could go with. Marjolinda had other plans, and Bee was emphatically not an ice skating person.
Even though my brother offered to take me along, he wanted to get to the ice early, and I didn't relish the thought of driving an hour and a half to get there at the ass-crack of dawn either.
My mother sent me a screenshot of two places in Eindhoven that would be safe: the Karpendonkse Plas (at the IJzeren Man), and Recreatieplas Hanevoet. I was ecstatic! We sometimes walked around the Recreatieplas Hanevoet, it was quite close to home, and I was familiar there. No doubt about if I could get close -- I could cycle there in five minutes and toss my bike in the bushes and be gone.
I asked Vera if she had seen people skating there, but she told me there were still large patches not frozen over at all. It wouldn't be safe.
And when I couldn't find anyone to go ice skating with yesterday, I cried. It felt horrible. I should have just grabbed my ice skates and figured it out, but by the time it was 4 o'clock it felt like it was too late to go out.
Finally, desperately, I posted on Ravelry.
And an hour later I had a blind date to go ice skating with Petra. She trains with the local ice club and didn't mind me tagging along. She told me where we could meet up and gave me an address to navigate to. Although there were some iron fences blocking the road (probably because of overwhelming number of cars turning up at the Sumatralaan the day before) the road ran right by the Karpendonkse plas. It was just before 8 am and mine was just the fourth car there.
It was a wide open place, lots of cracks in the ice which was a bit hard to get used to. I was still a little hesitant to get going, but I was comforted by the idea that someone was there to help pick me up, call an ambulance, or maybe even laugh at me. (My mind goes to the weirdest places)
The first few strokes were VERY careful. But it was clear my new skates (new, AND ten years old) were sturdy enough to support my ankles. And the muscle memory kicked in well enough: it was quite easy to get back in the swing. The cracks were really hard, and my endurance was appalling, but I spent a good hour just going around the lake at my own pace. I fell a couple of times (don't try to make a video while skating, people) and I'll have a blue hip and blue knees to remind me of this awesome and wonderful trip.
Petra and her skating friend also invited me to try out a lesson at their ice skating club, which actually sounds like a wonderful idea. I also told Eisirt a pair of inline skates would make a great birthday gift. I've always loved skating, and it would be a great way to get back into shape. The fact I was huffing and puffing like my asthmatic 76 year old grandfather was when he was just sitting quietly at a table is, as always, quite the wake-up call.
It was glorious and HOT. I took of my knitted hat and stuffed my gloves in a pocket. After taking off my skates, I relaxed with a hot cup of tea I had brought along, and really took in the view. What a wonderful trip!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2021-02-14 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-02-14 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-02-14 02:00 pm (UTC)Maar als het gaat om tochten schaatsen en conditie opbouwen — we hebben hier heel veel mooie fietspaden!
no subject
Date: 2021-02-15 02:20 pm (UTC)Niet goed voor je lagers! Ik ben er hier weer mee opgehouden.