First edition of the Zwolse grachtentocht (ice skating tour of the canals of Zwolle)

The logo of the event - their website is going up today with all the information: Zwolse Grachtentocht

While we continue to wait for a decision from the rayonhoofden (I just love that word, which in Dutch means "district chiefs") up north in the province of Friesland to see if we will finally have an Elfstedentocht this year, their Zwolse counterparts* have come up with an ice-skating tocht ("race" in this case) of their own along the stadsgrachten (city canals) in Zwolle.

One of the canals in Zwolle in the winter

 The event will take place next Saturday 11 February as of 12:00. The route will start at the Rodetorenplein following the Thorbeckegracht to the end of the canal and back to the Rodetorenplein. There will be refreshment stalls along the track and the bars and restaurants along the canal will also set up their terrasjes (outdoor cafés) on the ice. The organisers are looking for music bands and entertainers to make sure that there is a festive atmosphere all around. It should be fun! 
As of 11:00 there will be two caravans at the Rodetorenplein for those who want to participate to collect their stamp cards for free. If you want to be a part of it and join in the ice skating fun, you can ask for more information or register via this email address: zwolsegrachtentocht@live.nl  The committee organising the event has also just launched their own website where you will find the programme, the route and a form to sign up if you want to enter the marathon. 

Should the rayonhoofden from Friesland decide that the Elfstedentocht is a Go, the Zwolse grachtentocht will then be postponed so that we all can finally give our full attention to this huge national event - the first Elfstedentocht of the 21st century!

This is me on a bridge across the Thorbeckegracht where the Zwolse grachtentocht will take place.

*The Zwolse grachtentocht is actually being organised by a group of entrepreneurs of the catering industry in Zwolle.

Zwolle Culinair: the Superstreekmarkt (super regional market)

De Week van de Smaak (in English, "National Tasting Week") is a gastronomic event in the Netherlands held every year to celebrate traditional, sustainable international and local food. National Tasting Week is celebrated with hundreds of different activities in which food and local produce takes central stage. Restaurants, local producers, farmers, food shops, cookery schools - they all organise their own activities in big and small cities across the country.

This event actually started back in 1992 in France, where it is known as Le Semaine du Goût and it soon extended into other European countries. Today, the event is celebrated in Switzerland (since 2001), Belgium (since 2006) and the Netherlands (since 2007).


In Zwolle, the city where I live, National Tasting Week was celebrated with many special activities. The Dutch Tourist Office (the VVV or Vereiniging van Vreemdelingenverkeer), for example, offered during the week of 21-27 September, a gastronomic walking tour through the historic city centre, visiting some of the best restaurants and shops which held tasting sessions or had special menus especially elaborated for the occasion.

"Sunday 27 September, Welcome to the Super Regional Market"

Another big event which took place to celebrate National Tasting Day was the Superstreekmarkt (in English, the "super regional market") in which traditional local produce was displayed on the approximately 50 stalls arranged around the restaurant of the Agnietenberg camping site in Zwolle.
There, visitors could taste and buy different regional products and delicacies that are not normally found in supermarkets but in traditional winkeltjes (in English, "little shops") in the city or in farms from the region. Also, there were open cooking demonstrations, talks, poetry reading, wine tasting, etc.

The market could be easily reached by car but there were other "fun" options, like sailing from the city centre of Zwolle to the Agnietenberg by boat on board "De Gebeurtenis"; or riding in one of the fietstaxis (taxi bikes) Fiestjoe.

The taxi-bike, an environmentlly friendly means of transport in Zwolle.

Some more photos of the Superstreekmarkt in the Agnietenberg, Zwolle:

Busy day at the Super Regional Market

A tasting of cheeses, patés and jams in one of the stalls in the market.

Did you know that there are more than 180 vineyards in the Netherlands? Winegrowing is a thriving industry that contributes about 1 million of bottle per year! There is even a vineyard in my own city, in Zwolle - check their website for more information about the wines and visiting or volunteering to work during the high season: Wijngaard De Swolse Marken.

Dutch wines at the market during the National Tasting Week in Zwolle.

The wine shop Henri Bloem had an international selection of wines for the public to taste. I was pleased to discover that one of their star wines (Felino, Viña Cobos, Malbec 2008) actually came from Mendoza, the wine producing region in my country, Argentina.

The wine tasting selection at the Henri Bloem stall in the market.

Visitors could also see, taste and buy another typical delicacy from the region: smoked eel.

The mobile smokehouse of Profarm Paling, a local producer.

Smoked eel or "gerookte paling", a local delicacy.

A stall displaying typical dry sausages.

The typical sausages of a local producer.

More "lekker" (in English, "tasty") sausages.

A view of the turnout for the Super Regional Market in Zwolle.

Of course there were a couple of stalls offering a tasting of locally made cheeses:

The stall of Isseldelta Bier.

Vinaigrettes ready to go!

Cook books for those looking for inspiration.

The winter garden at the Agnietenberg, Zwolle.

There is more to come yet, in this month of October: Zwolle Culinair, an event which will take place from 23 to 25 October in Deltion College, Zwolle.

If you are curious about other gastronomic events taking place in Zwolle, visit the Zwolle, Week van de Smaak website, or the VVVZwolle (Dutch Tourist Board, Zwolle).