Our heat-seeking heroine is, I’m afraid, no fan of winter. On the contrary, as soon as the mercury starts dropping in her thermometer, she typically takes a cue from Mama Bear and hibernates. This year, though, something has changed. Perhaps it’s a new level of open-mindedness. Perhaps it’s a heightened spirit of competition. In any case, the Well Rounded Woman refuses to let Old Man Winter get the better of her. So what if those snowsuits that look so cute on supermodels make her look like the Michelin Tire Man? She has decided to embrace the season, experiencing it to the fullest. First up? Skating in Amsterdam.
Ice, Ice, Baby
Whereas some ladies might wish to emulate Dorothy Hamill, the Well Rounded Woman has long harbored a secret desire to careen down frozen canals à la Hans Brinker. Today’s rising temperatures mean she has to put that fantasy on ice. However, until March 4 she can strap on a pair of rented skates and take a spin around the free outdoor rink on the glorious Museumplein, in the heart of Holland’s capital. After perfecting her figure eights, she can fatten her figure by indulging in hot cocoa, paired with spicy speculaas cookies and sweet poffertjes pancakes, at an ice-side stall.
Since the rink lies in the shadow of the Rijksmuseum, any sane woman would also devote some time to perusing its Golden Age art collection. (With masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and more now conveniently housed in a single wing, it needn’t take long). But our wintery wanderer prefers to focus on another type of “ice” for which Amsterdam is famous: diamonds! So for a true Dutch treat, she drops into Gassan Diamonds. On its free hour-long factory tour, she can watch craftsmen work, learn about gems—and shop. Showrooms display loose, polished stones and diamonds can be mounted while she waits.
Heart of Glace
What’s better than walking in a winter wonderland? How about sleeping in one at Hôtel de Glace-Canada, better known to Anglophones as the Ice Hotel? Everything in this glittering 30,000-square foot facility—from the furniture in the guest rooms to the candelabra in the Grand Hall—is made entirely of ice and snow: 15,500 tons of it to be precise. Yet our delicate diva is able to chill without getting too chilly. That’s because the hotel’s four-foot thick walls act like a thermos and ice-block beds are topped with specially-designed mattresses, thick woolen blankets, and arctic-rated sleeping bags.
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