Let's be honest--"cold" does not do justice to the recent weather here in Hamburg. For the past two weeks, the average temperature hovered between zero and minus seven.The upshot of living in an icebox is that snow sticks to the ground and lakes freeze. And when it's a sunny Sunday, everyone in Hamburg flocks to the local lake for an afternoon of merriment.
We decided to walk to the Krupunder See, our little local lake. We were not alone, for nearly 200 people were playing on the ice. Granted, there were signs posted saying that activity on the ice was prohibited, but try enforcing that to a 10
year-old with a new pair of ice skates or a grandma with a soccer ball. Hockey games were in full swing, several mountain bikers cruised the lake, an ice-wind-surfer glided across the middle of the lake. It was unbelievably fun.
Before anyone calls Child Protective Services, rest assured that we weren't the only ones with a stroller on the ice! Ok, maybe we had the youngest little one, but we were only following local custom and tradition. What kind of mother would I be to deny my child a truly German experience of playing on a frozen lake?We threaded our way between skaters and walkers to slide on the ice. Whee!! Sophie practiced for the 2025 Olympics in the new sport of Ice Buggying. You can check out her debut on this video: youtube Sophie on the ice
Someone recognized a grand business opportunity and offered Gluhwine, hot chocolate and juice.
However, we didn't get a chance to sip the sweet treats as the police came by and gently but firmly announced that we all needed to get off the ice: Achtung, bitte--it was verboten to play on the frozen lake. :-(
About 100 of us slunk to the shore while the other 100 or so continued frolicking on the See. The police car drove away, then some of the crowd ebbed
back to the frozen playground and warm refreshment stand. We headed home; Sophie would be getting hungry soon, and our hearts were full of childlike joy.
2 comments:
I LOVE playing on the frozen lakes! There's something a bit thrilling about being able to see down into the frozen water instead of just the bottom of a man-made ice rink. Fun!
okay, 7 below is not that cold. :-) We'd love to have our snow back and our cold temps rather than the crazy melt down, icy roads and gloomy skies that have hit the past coupla weeks. Though truth be told I did miss out on 5 days of 20 below or colder, when I went to NYC...
Looks lovely and you are absolutely right you all do need to be out on the ice having fun!
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