Today's the day. The day that temperatures are forecast to break out of the cold snap that's held The Netherlands in its sub-zero (Celsius) grip for the past 3 weeks, almost every night and day.The last time the Dutch experienced a deep freeze of this length and magnitude, according to friends here, was about 10 years ago.
Sporting goods shops, normally accustomed to supplying skates to only users of skating rinks, are practically sold out. Everyone and their mother has taken skating on the canals, which are covered with a foot-thick block of ice.
Last year, apparently there was one day on which the canals froze enough to support skating (while we were vacationing in the States). This year, news reports herald the advent of a New Generation of Skaters. Kids who've been able to simply walk a couple blocks to the nearest neighborhood canal, pop on their skates and jump-start their ice hockey or speed skating career.
The impact on moods has been palpable. Accustomed to dreary overcast winters not unlike those of the Pacific Northwest, the Dutch have long endured December through March with a perpetual Seasonal Affective Disorder. But this winter has been different so far. Cold yet sunny days have lifted the national disposition. Hours of outdoor skating have heightened the already high level of physical exercise.
Today, we take the kids out again onto the ice with some friends. The notoriously unreliable weather forecast hints that today will be the last day of the current icy period, followed tomorrow by moderation and Tuesday by rain.
Soon enough, we'll be back to normal - the mostly cloudy, soggy dimness with occasional "sunbreaks" that we know and love.
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