i like huge tables

On Saturday I went ice skating with some friends on "natuurijs"which can be found on frozen lakes or small ponds, any kind of ice clad body of water which is not man made. We skated on the Oostvaardersplassen. I actually switched back to my boots quite quickly since it was my first time on "noren" ice skates which were a bit too big for me and I'd forgotten to bring my trusty white "figure" skates as a back up. Nonetheless I enjoyed walking the ice and watching people skate off. Noren skates are super fast, people who use them look like the speed skates at the Winter Olympics!

The whole experience was great fun though. It was a very snowy bitter cold day. We arrived by car, parked, and headed down a little path to the lake. A small wooden structure was built next to the lake where other skaters were either putting on their ice skates or taking them off to go home. Everyone was super jolly. I was offered, and accepted numerous cookies and sips of tea. Nieke felt the need to explain, saying this is one of only two times that dutch people connect with strangers... while skating and the other being complaining about public transportation weather delays! Chuckling and still nibbling at our cookies we strapped our skates on and hobbled to the lake. Laughter and calls of "veel plezier" from the wooden shelter following us onto the ice.

I would have to agree with Nieke for the most part about the dutch tendency to connect less with strangers, since she is dutch after all and the expert. But I may add a possible third place of connection and spontaneous gezelligheid; the Coffee Company (which would be the Amsterdam version of Starbucks but much better). Sitting today drinking my latte and reading my book, I accidentally kicked my "neighbor" across the table, he looked up and I laughed apologetically. Later he asked me to watched his mac as he went to the wc. I obliged. He came back and we chatted with a lady and her son enjoying their hot chocolate. He offered to take a photo of them. And blah blah blah. As I settled back to my book I recognized how much I enjoy the Coffee Company tables (pictured below). They're large slabs of wood built together to make huge large tables, while slightly too low for me to cross my leg over my knee, they are the perfect place to engage in pleasant small talk between a sip of coffee and a page of my book. These sorts of tables have become the way I choose a restaurant to eat lunch at or a place to grab a cup of coffee. Wagawama has them and a few others. I enjoy them in the similar way that I love public transportation. Who says we need individual cars or tables to sit at. I love sitting and being human with other humans. I don't know if the guy with the bruised knee feels the same.