Now That's What I Call An Ice Rink - Eindhoven Ijssportcentrum

Speed skating is HUGE in the Netherlands, so I'm guessing this is not actually an unusual size rink, but I've sure never seen a 400m ice track before, much less skated on one. But now, I have :) I was there over the weekend, in case you're wondering....

And it was glorious! Very unlike any of the stamp-sized (in comparison) 3-month ice rinks that can be found around Dublin City, where they simply let people onto the ice until noone can actually move forward very much. There's a reason why I have not been skating on any of the Dublin rinks for the last few years. There's no room to actually skate and you constantly run the risk of being dragged down by some fledgling skater losing their balance. People, good thing that you're coming out to skate, but if you don't know what you're doing, stay near the barrier, please!

So, back to the Eindhoven Ijssportcentrum. There was a timer, counting seconds 1- 60 the whole time, so that you could time your rounds, which I did - 1 minute 25 seconds, at an okay pace. I would have loved to try sprinting the whole way, but I couldn't because:

a) too many people
b) dull blades
c) not enough stamina

The rink used to be completely open to the elements, but now it's semi-covered, as you can see in the picture.