A couple from the Philippines is visibly beaming. For the first time in their lives they see snow. They are amazed and cannot believe their luck. A student from China is also impressed. “When I got off the bus, I also saw a rainbow,” she says. “It looks like a photo here.”
Two friends from Malaysia are shivering on the bridge near the mills. “It’s so cold,” they laugh. However, the winter decor also has a downside. “Our flight home is tomorrow,” they say. And they have no idea yet whether it will continue.
Rarely so quiet
Due to the winter weather, flights and train rides are canceled in many places. This is also noticed by artist and cartoonist Wouter Corduwener, who has been drawing caricatures of visitors every day for ten years. It is rarely so quiet at the Schans, which attracts around three million visitors every year. “But it’s also nice,” he admits. “It’s just a kind of meditation, this.”
Those who want to see this ‘Winter Wonderschans’ with their own eyes will have another chance. Another thick layer of snow is expected for next Friday.