In the ground-floor window of a nearby house on Prinsengracht canal, the owner has placed an 18th-century print showing 'fun on the ice' (i.e.
IJspret) on the outskirts of Amsterdam a few hundred years ago. And there they all were today, from the two-year-olds to the eighty-two-year-olds, and tables and benches had been placed on the thick ice -- and bales of straw for the tired skaters to sit upon; and there were burning braziers, and hot soup and warm chocolate drinks were being served. I took over 40 pictures, most of them colourful and bright, showing the people on the ice and the sunlit facades of 17th-century houses lining the canal.
See my Facebook, and I will try to upload the album....
And here above are a couple that I like a lot
and a few more...
This is just round the corner from where I live. Many of my neighbours were gathered on the ice, drinking hot chocolate (cocoa). There was a very happy atmosphere, as if this wonderful activity helped people to forget their cares... (unemployment, the threatened euro, pensions diminished...)
IJspret, a word to conjure with!
No comments:
Post a Comment