Larks in the Dark

Spring is on the way. The nights are drawing out and the clocks are going forward soon, but yesterday that didn't stop us from going night canoeing. Avid and attentive readers will remember that I've done this before, but that was in balmy September.

It sounded like quite a good idea when Chloe proposed it a few weeks ago and the weather was on the up, but that was before it started snowing and being generally cold and rather miserable. Nonetheless, yesterday evening a group of 16 of us (including 8 intrepid visitors from the UK) found ourselves huddling on the banks of the Oudegracht waiting to spend three hours canoeing around Utrecht's canals. As the gentleman said when we paddled off, "You're mad". We followed a different route to last time and, sadly avoiding the low bridges of last time, actually canoed up through the main canal which was quite a cool thing to do. I didn't realise quite how many restaurants there are nestling into the banks of the canal, nor quite how appealing cosy-looking front rooms seem when it's freezing, raining, and you're canoeing on the water in the dark.

But that's all very negative for what was actually a really fun evening. Utrecht really does look quite different from the canal level and with all the physical exertion we soon warmed up (a little). The best bit came at the end though when, while getting out of the canoe, my sodden and freezing knees refused to do their job and wouldn't bend. My trousers and shoes were still wet this morning.

My thanks have to go to Tineke who I've not only stolen the photo below from, but who provided the canoeing experience that actually got our canoe moving places:


Quote of the evening though has to go to Chloe, who, while shouting to me in the darkness pronounced that, "Jack, I can only see your teeth!", which I took to be a compliment, and one that makes me less concerned about the fact that my bike lights stopped working two months ago.

The whole thing was run out of perhaps the most Dutch, Dutch pub I've come across since I arrived. When the 16 of us traipsed in everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us like aliens. But when we returned I think we were more of a humorous curiosity, all being huddled around our warme chocolademelks. And they gave us some free bittebollen too, so what more could we ask for?

In other news, I was thoroughly trounced again at badminton this evening, 3 games to nil. I don't think I've actually won a game since I got back after Christmas. This could be because (a) I'm a bit rubbish, (b) my doubles partners are a bit rubbish, or (c) I'm playing people who are rather better than me. I'd like to say (b) or (c), but that would be to lie. I can't help but think that the fact that I'm about to miss three consecutive lessons isn't going to help matters.