Dutch skate on the canals by the millions the past week

AP Photo of Kinderdijk mill area near Rotterdam on 3 January 2009.
 

This past weekend of January 10 and 11, nearly 1 million Dutch people took to the ice of the canals of the Netherlands.  It was reported that “…over 100,000 people took part in or­ganized skating tours through the Dutch countryside on Sunday, the skating as­sociation KNSB told news agency ANP.  In total, there were 23 organized routes, ranging in length from 10 to 200km. It was the first time in 12 years that skating tours over natural ice have taken place. All over the country, experienced and novice skat­ers flocked to rivers, lakes and outdoor ice rinks and there was heavy traffic conges­tion along the narrow country roads in popular skating areas. In total up to half a million people enjoyed the ice this week­end, ANP said.”  (from DutchNews.nl 12 Jan 2009).

The photos are really amazing to see.  One is reminded of the paintings of Dutch baroque artists such as Hendrick Avercamp, albeit with the addition of lycra, Gore-Tex, and better skates in the modern photographs.  Every world class art museum seems to have frozen Dutch landscape paintings, with the exception of maybe the Chicago Art Institute, which to me seems a glaring omission.  Maybe in the renovation they'll add one. 

Link to more photos: http://www.knsb.nl/upload/natuurijs/2009/

Hendrick Avercamp, A Scene On The Ice, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA