Dutch ice skate on canals after big freeze
Children and adults in the Netherlands have been using ice skates and modified skateboards to glide over frozen canals. Photo: EPA
People in the Netherlands have been making the most of the freezing weather by ice skating over the country’s frozen canals.
This week’s “Beast From The East” winter storm caused some of the canals in Amsterdam to freeze over for the first time in six years.
The ice on Amsterdam’s historic Prinsengracht canal was thick enough for residents to lace up their skates and glide across. Tourists without skates slid on the ice, taking selfies.
“It’s just cool. You can go fast and you see the world from a slightly different perspective,” said skater Noldus Reijnders.
Despite measures taken by Dutch authorities to help the ice develop, there were still some holes and parts of the canal weren’t frozen at all.
Reijnders was wearing a special red ice pick around his neck just in case.
“If you sink through the ice – and there are still a few dangerous places – you can pull yourself out,” he said.