Amsterdam's canals freeze over, providing perfect opportunity for ice skating

Jessica Durando | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption It's so cold here people are ice skating to work It is so cold in Amsterdam that some canals have frozen over. Many are using the frozen canals to get around more quickly.

It is so cold in Amsterdam that some canals have frozen over. Luckily, it's transformed them into an oasis for residents to enjoy impromptu ice skating.

The bitter weather taking Europe by storm is good news for the Dutch, many of whom love to skate on waterways if the weather gives them the right opportunity.

For the first time in about six years, part of the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht canals froze hard enough to support the weight of dozens, according to the Guardian.

Tourists without skates also made their way across the ice, snapping selfies.

“It’s just cool. You can go fast and you see the world from a slightly different perspective,” skater Noldus Reijnders told the Associated Press.

One woman even took her dog for a walk along the frozen canal.

Guess there is an upside to the "Beast from the East" wreaking havoc on other parts of Europe.

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