Hell is a Very Cold Place

Son: - Mom, may I check what you are seeing in your computer ?

Mommy: - Of course ! Look: a little film about very driven ice skaters. Beautiful isn't it ?

Son: - Yeah. It is so frozen. And with cracks, such as Ice Age. Is it dangerous ?

Mommy - Of course !

Son: - So... why are they doing that ?

Mommy: - Ah, my son. I do not know. You have a house with good warming, you have food on table and still you decide to ice skate for a whole day untill you hallucinate from hunger and your eyes freeze.
Son: - But... is it fun ?

Mommy: - Also. Sure ! Honey !! Help !!

Hubby: - Ah, boys will always look for adventures, won't they ?

Son: - A-hum.

Mommy: - Some girls also. Look: one of the four heroes in this movie - it's a brave girl.

Son: - Can I then watch that ?
Mommy: - Only when you are 12. We bring you now together with your sister to opa and oma. Daddy and mommy are going to Purmerend to watch it.

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Purmerend is a big modern city with lots of attractions. I enjoy going there for occasional shopping or for the fun - like today (but I prefer to live in an authentic Dutch village).

We went for "De Hel van '63" . The Dutch press has been giving 3 - sometimes 4 - stars to this film. Great photography and beautiful special effects but no complicated plot: during the winter of 1963 in the provincie Friesland (northern Netherlands) it freezes -19 °C. Therefore the organization comitee of the longest ice skating marathon in the world (200km) approves the Elfstedentocht for the following day: 18th January 1963 at 6 a.m.. Almost 10 thousand participants go for the challenge of covering a tour along 11 Frisian villages- but only 69 reach the finish line. We are going to follow soldier Henk, farmer's son Sjoerd, unemployed Kees and nurse Annemiek overcome exhaustion, hunger, woundings, snowstorms and personnal disappointments in order to get a little medal - before midnight. All of them have very special reasons to take part in the marathon.

In real life Reinier Paping arrived first during the legendary marathon of '63. He made it within 11h - most of which he was completely alone. As prize he got a silver cigarette box and two tickets for icerink in Deventer to be used during the following two years. And an unknown man put 10 guilders in his hand.

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I have to say: I found the film great fun !!

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It is going to freeze next week in the Netherlands. My husband has just checked his iceskates and decided he needs new ones. My son son is also making wild plans.

Ah, boys will always look for adventures.

Some girls also.