#27 – Une visite à la patinoire

On my original list was Ice Skating at Somerset House as I remembered enjoying ice-skating when I was younger.  It is also outdoors which somehow makes it very Christmassy.  But when we discovered there was an open air ice-rink, or patinoire, up the Alpe d’Huez while on holiday there it became the new to do item on the list, replacing Somerset House.

It had been a rainy day down in Bourg d’Oisans and snowy with limited visibility up the mountain – so not the best day for outdoor activities.  But by the evening it was foggy but nothing actually falling from the skies.  So once Charlotte had put the boys down we drove through the fog and came out the other side on our way up the mountain to a beautiful sky full of stars.  It was cold but perfect weather for ice-skating.

First challenge was managing to communicate ‘trente-neuf’ at the boot hire.  That accomplished I was putting the boots on and suddenly realised it was really quite a while since I had last skated.  In fact I would still have been at school… so a really, really long time ago!  But I was determined to give it a good go and enjoy myself into the bargain!

We hobbled out toward the ice and managed to get on there without falling over.  I’d say my initial skating was more along the lines of shuffling on ice while momentarily letting go of the side.  But gradually my confidence grew and I could go longer without touching the side.  Charlotte started similar to me but grew in confidence a bit faster than me.  Stuart though was straight on and showing off.  Our evaluation being that he perhaps had more confidence than actual competence! 

The end of the rink was being used for a children’s ice-hockey game and so there was the width of the rink that I had to master skating across without any chance of holding on.  The first time I managed to get all the way around the rink without a touch of the sides I let out a big whoop.  Then I managed 2 times around without grabbing the sides.  And gradually I got faster and more confident.  I actually only fell over once when I twisted a little too much taking a corner.  I did also let out an involuntary scream at one point as a boy who was skating as if he had more control than he really did bombed towards me when I was mid-way across the width when I had no side to grab on to.  But somehow I managed to get out of his way and kept going till I reached the safety of the side.

It was great fun and I kept smiling even when I fell over.  Staying upright and being able to pick up speed was also a huge confidence boost.  And doing it all under a beautifully starlit night sky with a mountainous backdrop was even more of a bonus.  A very fun evening!