Because we never know IF or WHEN it will happen, you can imagine how thrilled we were to finally get snow, even if only for a week. Frost is one thing, which we saw in January, but snow is another thing altogether!
We awakened to snow on Sunday morning, 7 February, as predicted.
I didn't even go out that day except on our balcony and then on the walkway in front of our apartment.
Astrid had covered our car the day before, to protect it in our courtyard.
I took this from our 1st-floor walkway, looking down into the courtyard.
It was heavenly for me, and, if that was all I had, it would have been "fix" enough.
But lucky for me, the next day I walked home from grocery shopping and got more.
Another "fix," even though with the wind chill I barely made it home!
Seriously.
Besides seeing the snow, she wanted me to see the high water of the Merwede river on our north bank.
You can see the flooded fields, with the Loevestein Castle across the river.
This is when an outsider understands why the Dutch need locks to control their water.
So much of the area around us is below sea level!
The dijks are also important to keep out the water but are also picturesque.
When I saw the swans, Astrid knew she needed to stop.
Remember, this was 5 days before Valentine's Day.
And remember that swans mate for life!
Our English friends have lamented that we don't have hills for sledding,
but who needs hills when you have dijks!
Don't you love the winter willows!
Not much snow but enough to create some nice scenes.
We drove a bit further out into the polder to find sheep.
(No wonder we like wool for winter, right?!)
It was a splendid day, full of many snow "fixes."
On Wednesday we had erwtensoep, served up in the courtyard for 50 of our residents.
From where I stood, I looked back through our birch tree to our apartment side.
(Our apartment is one floor down to the left of the tree trunk.)
On Friday morning, after 5 days of temps around 20°F, we drove to scout out skating spots
for Astrid, first in Giessenburg (top row) and then in Brandwijk (bottom row).
That afternoon she went back to Brandwijk to get her skating fix.
But one time wasn't enough, so she went back on Sunday to another spot on the Giessen river.
THAT was her real fix for skating this winter, as her video shows.
Then just like that, after Sunday, Valentine's Day, the temps immediately went back up to the 40°s F.
The winter violas outside our front door sprung back to life!
So, from Sunday to Sunday, it was like a February winterland miracle
inserted into the calendar for all who needed their fix.
Perfect! Just a taste of winter for a few days. I would love that. Skating by the windmill looks so much fun!
ReplyDeleteEven for people who hate winter, Marie, I think they can handle a beautiful week of snow! It was heavenly and totally worth the "fix." And, yes, any windmill adds to the entire experience. :)
DeleteWat een mooie reeks van deze winterpretweek.
ReplyDeleteErge mooi collages heb je gepost met een prima wintersfeertje.
En die overvolle uiterwaarden zijn fotografisch prachtig en erg indrukwekkend.
Fijne week en mooi lente weekend.
Hartstikke bedankt, Marjolein. I love that even though you are in a different part of the country, you experience much of the same at the same time!
DeleteWe had to wait for over two years to have snow. And the last time I skated was in 2012. (I think). I know that was the year that I did a 25 km of the Molentocht. What a great pictures you took to have this wonderful memory to keep. Snow is so decorative and you only need a little to give "the world" a totally different view.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that we took those small trips not to miss "anything". Thank you, Ginnie for taking time to document "snow and ice" and now........it is Spring... IHVJ.
Waiting is such a bit**, Astrid, isn't it! But we finally got it and maybe even don't care that it was only for a week. Anyone can handle snow for a week, right??? You in particular have so many great memories of snow and skating here in the Netherlands, but I also have wonderful memories of both from my childhood in Michigan.
DeleteWe are all snow-covered now. Merry jingling!
ReplyDeleteIt never feels like winter to me unless there is snow, Ted. Of course, I would especially feel that way if I lived in Connecticut!
DeleteThanks for sharing such beautiful scenery!!
ReplyDeleteWe had a little snow a week or so ago here in Scottsdale which has only happened once since I’ve lived here in the 30 plus years.
Our weather is TOTALLY screwed up as you can see from the news - TEXAS.
Thanks again for sharing your beautiful part of the world!
Snow once in 30 years??? OMG. And I thought waiting two years was hard. HA! But yes, weather these days is really scary, isn't it. Will it be enough to get people believing in climate change? I sure do hope so. God have mercy if not!
DeleteThank you, as always, for following us here where we live!
Thank you for all the details here, all of which you welcomed with glee. I just love the photos, and then Astrid's video skating! How many people in the world have ever experienced that? And it's part of her life. There sure were a lot of people out that day!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth, and exactly what you said about Astrid. How many people in the world GET to experience that! To see it with my own eyes is as good as experiencing it myself. I feel so lucky. :)
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