snow storm

while the east coast of america was being buried under snow, holland also experienced a huge snow storm. according to my roommate, it is the most snow the west part of the country has seen in over 20 years. i think in delft we received about 30 cm or 12 inches of snow. this paralyzed the city for about two days where travel by foot was the main form of travel until enough salt was thrown and the city's overwhelmed snowplow brigade could work it out.

the storm also froze travel all over the continent. planes didn't fly from schiphol, and for the past three days very few NS trains ran across the country. the problem for the trains relates to the switching mechanisms. around freezing temperatures, these devices are heated electrically to ensure they keep working and don't freeze. but the heaters are rarely used and so many do not work. then when it snows and the switch heaters are needed, many do not work and thus stopping train travel throughout the country. it took my friend 6.5 hours to get from almelo (north of amersfoort) to delft, a journey that usually takes 2 hours.

snow in america also ruined runja's original itinerary to visit me here. her flight to DC was canceled so she was unable to catch her plane here. after a long time on the phone, she was able to reschedule her ticket for later and leaving from dallas. this means she got to spend some time in denton this week! i am jealous about that. she'll arrive on christmas morning and will stay later until january 6. i am excited about the places we'll go visit and all the good food and art we'll be making too. yes!

ok here are some pictures of the snow. nothing epic. if you'd like to see some cool stuff, look up pictures of the mecanoo TUD library during the winter. it has a sloped roof and when it snows students use it as a sledding opportunity (it is the biggest hill in delft, after all).


extra security guards were assigned to my apartment during the storm


mijn straat met sneeuw


how do ducks get around? they waddle on the ice! and now since the canals are beginning to freeze, they all gather in the wider areas that aren't frozen yet and quack loudly.




it stopped snowing/sleeting and the sky turned this uneasy orange cream color as the sun set in the west. both pretty and unsettling.