This weekend I got to do something I wanted to try for a really long time. But the weather was just never quite right for it.
This time it was…..
I made Ice Lanterns. Well actually I made one ice lantern, the next one is in the making right now.
This is so cool (pun intended). So easy, yet so cool.
We are having a very cold spell here right now. Temperature hasn’t been above freezing in over a week. And in this little flat country persistent freezing temperatures means that a particular fever is rising. Ice fever, as in ice skating fever, as in shall this be the year that the infamous ‘tour of eleven cities’ will be held again.
You see we have this thing here, where when the winter is severe enough and the frost lasts long enough for the canals and rivers to freeze over, that people start to plot holding the tour of tours. It happens rarely, the last one was in 1997 the one before that in 1986 and 1985 and before that it was back in the sixties.
This elfstedentocht (Dutch for tour of eleven cities) can make this little country even more crazy than the world cup football championships finale. Must be something about the real men heroism going with it. As I said for more than twenty years the tour was a myth. The one in the sixties had been particularly brutal. And the black and white images of bearded men going over the finish line with popsicles hanging from the eyebrows, completely exhausted and almost frozen became part of our cultural heritage.
And then in the eighties it finally happened again. A strong winter with enough freezing days in a row to built a strong ice road. It was such a big event that we all got a day off from school. Yes I once got an ice-day holiday. Once, as is hasn’t happened since.
And no the talk is on again and hope is rising as fast as the ice is growing…..
So while my country is talking about the centimeters of frost gained in the night, meetings between ice masters are held every hour, people are sharpening their skates and hoping they can get on the participants list (you actually have to be a member to be able to participate in the race. People are members for decades on the off chance that the race will be held again and that they will draw a lucky number). Everyone hopes it will get colder and colder while the fever rises.
And I had my own little ice celebrations.
A lit ice lantern to celebrate winter. To marvel at the force of nature. To have a little fun with the freezing cold.
Just water and a couple of olive tree branches and a little patience. That is all that it took, to create this beauty.
A light in a cold, dark night….
Here’s to hoping that the frost will linger long enough for my country to have its special winter fest….
Hi Maricnne! Oh you’re good and this is so pretty! Now my tiny toes are freezing off!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia
Hello Marianne. Your ice lantern is so pretty. We’ve been seeing the news about Europe’s cold weather. I hope that the freeze will continue and the race will be able to take place. How exciting! Stay warm and cozy.
Things are looking good so far. The cold is going to last at least until the next weekend, so the race might be on, it just might be….
You must tell me. Is there a candle in the middle? Or do you just light the olive branches? I know that they burn so well as we use them a lot here for cooking Paella!!
No there is a candle in the middle. The olive brances are stuck in the ice and preserved nicely that way.
Oh so pretty! Here we are having our warmest winter in decades. Crazy!
Ha ha if Ice holiday existed in sweden we would have had lot of free time. We often got visitors from Holland who wants to go ice skating on our lake. I watched a mastership last winter and was amazed by the high speeds. My oldest son plays bandy (kind of a faster hockey game with a ball and without tackles) 3 times a week.
We NEVER have ice or snow holidays either. Everything just continues like usual (well except for public transport). So it was so special to have an extra day off back then in high school. I guess it had a lot to do with the teachers wanting to see the race themselves too. Although they acted as if they had decided it in our benefit
That ice lantern is so pretty! I have been looking at them too, but we rarely get the weather for it. That race sounds amazing too. I had never heard of it before. Hope it takes place.
Zou het gaan gebeuren? Ik weet het nog god de 2 laatste…zo bijzonder! Ik schaats zelf niet maar vind deze tijd zo mooi en sprookjesachtig, net als je ijslantaarn. I ga aan de slag zo meteen! Hoe maak je de holte in het ijs om het kaarsje in te zetten? Lieve groet
Ik heb eerst een bodempje water in een emmer gedaan en dat laten bevriezen. Toen er een kleinere pot in gezet en die gevuld met bakstenen zodat hij niet ging drijven en dan de emmer verder opvullen. Alles laten bevriezen. Met warm water de binnenpot vullen zodat je die eruit kan halen en dan warm water over de buitenkant. Eigenlijk echt heel makkelijk.
Bedankt!
How unusual and oh so pretty! It’s not cold enough to make one here, even though the UK is covered in snow and ice we haven’t got any where I am! Just rain
Fingers crossed for The Tour!!!
De ijslantaarn is erg mooi geworden. Ik vind de kou niet zo erg. Sneeuw vind ik erger, omdat ik er elke dag doorheen moet met de auto. Gelukkig is vrijdag hier niets gevallen!
groetjes,
Marianne.
PS Ik heb je videoturorial pas 1/3 gekeken. Ik kijk morgenavond de rest.
Marianne,
Your candle holder is so beautiful!
I really hope you get to have another Tour of Tours!
~ Dana
Marianne,
I got so interested in the elfstedentocht that I looked it up on Wikipedia. It was apparently just updated this morning for the 2012 season! Looking good except for Stavoren where the ice was reported only 2 cm thick in places. Good luck. I’ll definitely be following the race progress! Thanks for posting this.
Stay warm,
Kay