Refreshing in wintry Friesland

We drove up the driveway while Rina was already waiting for us. She had a wooden crate in her hands, which she immediately handed to us. It contained local potatoes, carrots and onions from Botmas. Botmas grows more than 40 varieties of vegetables and herbs in the Frisian clay. "This is for you," says Rina. From the Visit Friesland team, we get the opportunity to make a delicious Dutch dish tonight, how sweet is that!

We walk towards the tiny house and are amazed by the view. All meadows, but snow white as snow. The tiny house is wonderfully warm, so we first put down our things and plop down on the sofa. "Is this refreshing yet?" I ask Joyce, as I feel everything slip away from me and unwind wonderfully.

After having a cup of coffee, we get in the car. Less than a ten-minute drive from the tiny house is Franeker. Having grown up in Friesland myself, these places are familiar to me. Yet every visit remains special. Especially now, in winter, when Franeker, or Frjentsjer as it is called in Frisian, lies under a white blanket. Not everyone knows that Franeker was once the second student city in the Netherlands. It is also home to the Eise Eisinga Planetarium, the oldest working planetarium in the world.

We take a small tour of the city centre. The snow on the streets has frozen because of the cold. We walk quietly and pay close attention. It is quiet. As if we have the city to ourselves for a while.

The evening arrives. We sink into the warm hot tub in front of the tiny house and then dive into the kitchen. Hutspot is on the menu, but as an equally delicious home-baked version. We drink our wine not inside, but outside by a crackling fire. Despite our limited knowledge of fire-making, we laugh a lot and enjoy the white landscape around us.

Due to icy roads and code orange, we abandon our planning and stay indoors in the morning. Safety first, even if it means the walk through De Alde Feanen will be cancelled. In the early afternoon, we drive to Heerenveen and have lunch at By-Kees. A place that immediately feels right, with a focus on local and honest products. We choose the nutty peanut bowl of açai, forest fruits, banana, oat milk and peanut paste. Really super tasty!

But then it's time for action. We drive on to Thialf, where we get a skating clinic from Douwe de Vries of the Sven Kramer Academy. We hire our skates on site and I opt for high, stable skates. Once on the ice, we start calmly with a few laps. Then the technique follows: hands on your back, improving posture and skating just a little bit more smoothly each time. Each round gets better and better, concluding with a little skating competition against each other. Something I hadn't expected beforehand, but which I find surprisingly fun. So from now on, skating is definitely on our list to do more often. Thank you Douwe!

After the skating clinic, we get another tour of Thialf. We wander through the building and also get to peek into places that normally remain hidden, from small rooms behind the scenes to corridors where skaters prepare for their races. Thialf opened in 1967 and has been a familiar place within Dutch skating for decades. Since its roofing in 1986, countless races have been run and memories made here. As we walk through the building, it feels special to realise how much skating history has taken place here.

We get in the car towards Harlingen to end the day peacefully. At 't Havenmantsje we sit down to a multi-course dinner, just what we need after an active day. We talk about the skating, feel our legs slowly settle down and enjoy the moment. With a fine mocktail in hand, we let the day pass by once more. 't Havenmantsje is located in a characteristic building that once served as a warehouse and inn, and you can still feel that historical cosiness. A lovely, cosy end to a winter day refreshing in Friesland.