Market Friday: Ice Rink in New Holland
Greetings, friends! We have already visited New Holland recently. Before Christmas I went to New Holland to visit the New Year's fair and buy presents. Today I went to New Holland again, but the destination of my walk is in a different part of the island. I photographed a map stand of the island specifically to show you my route:
On the right side of the map, near the sharp corner of the island, you can see a round building. This building is called The Bottle. In the courtyard of this building there was a New Year's fair and that's where we walked last time. On the left side of the island, near the right angle, you can see a rectangular area with a stage pavilion sketched out at the end. This is an ice rink, and the stage sometimes hosts concerts and performances. Next to the ice rink you can see the inner lake, which is highlighted in pale blue. Today we'll walk to the rink first, and then we'll walk around this lake.
I crossed the bridge, which is pictured in the bottom right corner of the map, and headed towards the rink. The red brick building is an old industrial building, once a blacksmith shop, and now a restaurant. The shield pavilion in the other picture is a place for temporary exhibitions. Christmas balls and garlands decorate the island, but the holidays are over, and soon these decorations will be dismantled and put away for storage until next Christmas.
It's quite crowded near the entrance to the ice rink. A queue stands at the pavilion where admission tickets are sold. The next session starts in 20 minutes, but there are no tickets left for that session, all sold out. It seems everyone in that queue is willing to wait two hours, until the next session starts. It's strange that they didn't take the opportunity to buy a ticket online in advance.
The cost of the session depends on the time of the ride and whether it is a weekday or a holiday. A morning ticket costs 150 rubles ($2.16) for a weekday skating session, while in the evening or on public holidays, the price for the same session may go up to 700 rubles ($10). This price does not include the cost of renting skates. You'll have to pay an additional 450 rubles ($6.5) to rent. Renting is not compulsory; you can come with your own skates. On the other hand, if you have your own skates, you can go skating on one of the free city rinks, then you will not have to pay a single penny (unless you count the amount that will be spent in the shop to buy skates).
Not far from the entrance you can see funny white animal figurines. These are the skater's helpers. If you are not confident in your ability to stay on skates and not fall, you can take one of these figures and hold on to it while skating. It's free of charge.
There are significant breaks between sessions. They are needed so that everyone can change before and after the session, as well as for a worker on special equipment to tidy up the ice. I went a little closer to look at this work; after the technique passes the strip of ice is perfectly clean, smooth and shiny.
While waiting for the session, you can buy a glass of hot drink, as well as a tasty bun, at a stall nearby. Or you can head to a coffee shop or restaurant, there are plenty of them on the island.
I decided to take a walk around the inner lake. In summer there are sun loungers, tables for board games, and a variety of playgrounds. In winter only some of these activities are available, but chess, as it turns out, isn't idle, even in winter.
A little further away there is a smoking area. The benches are empty; no one wants to smoke this evening.
At the end of the walk I came to a Christmas tree decorated with brightly coloured balls and lanterns. It is a live Christmas tree, it grows here all year round. Why bring in a new tree from the forest every year when you can grow your own in your own yard? The Christmas holidays are a time when this tree is the centre of attention. Other seasons, it simply grows modestly in the middle of the lawn.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
This is my entry for the #marketfriday challenge by @dswigle.
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Красотень то какая !
Спасибо!:)
superb as ever @tatdt , love the twilight shots so atmospheric. The price is very reasonable for an hours worth of fun , even with a chance of falling and breaking a leg!!
ha-ha-ha:) You can take one of these funny animals and hold on to it tightly:)
It's much easier to break a leg during a normal walk when the ice gets underfoot unexpectedly.
Thank you so much!
that will do, something to hold onto, we had our first frosty day today, and i was slipping and sliding, no likey!
I enjoyed reading your post. I love the detail in your photos. And even though the Christmas season is over, there still seems to be a festive atmosphere at this venue.
Thank you for sharing it with us, @tatdt.
The festive season is coming to an end and all these decorations will soon be going into storage. It's a bit of a pity, I love this magical time. Thank you so much!
I totally understand that! I would have felt the same!
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Thank you so much!
Very nice shots! I love the photos!
Thank you very much!
Awe shucks, hihihi I missed the chance to go to a public skating rink. In my area I had till January 8 to try them out. I'll either have to wait a year or try to find a rink where they skate all year, if they have those in the Netherlands.
Some ice rinks with artificial ice work all year round indoors . There are probably rinks of this type in the Netherlands. But skating outdoors is much more fun:) Thank you very much!
I can imagine with the lights, music and cheerful people around.
Любо-дорого посмотреть на такой каток. За льдом ухаживают. А у нас в областном центре, на центральной площади такое посмешище... качество льда, как мы в детстве в валенках бегали. Он даже не скользит.
Такие тоже есть - где скорее снег, чем лёд, под ногами. Но за этим ухаживают, лёд отличный!
Such a wonderful time of year and you make it shine even brighter! The shots are brilliant, as usual, you give so much in your posts, the details leave nothing to wonder about. How wonderful1
I love the chess game. :) The ice rink reminds me of a Christmas Market, so beautiful and cheerful. It is such a lovely time of year, everyone is looking for a reason to be happy, I think. :) That Christmas tree is stunning! I have one in my yard and I decorate it too! All year, it waits to be decorated and look glorious!
Those little helpers are fun, yes? :) You write in such a way, it makes it a joy to read and I am sure everyone who reads it feels the same. Thank you so much, @tatdt!! I love when I can meander through your post! Thank you!
I find it interesting to compare, not by the world's standards, but, by how we find the quality of our life with different indicators than the world does. It is not always about the wealth in money, sometimes money means very little when there is no value behind it. You cannot buy health although you can take care of what you have. Being educated isn't always about schooling, but acquiring knowledge and using it for the better good and happiness of the society you are living in. It is with great pleasure that I read through this and all of the posts, with these thoughts in mind.
Don't miss the small things in your life, they usually make no noise but can be indicators of bigger things. I enjoy learning more about you and hope you feel the same. I hope you are having an amazing week!
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Ice skating is one of the best winter activities. It's sport, socialising and fun - the perfect cocktail for the cold winter months! Thank you very much!