About This BlogWe owe our readers a little explanation to what we started here. Or so we feel.
This is the story behind the ” IJSKONIJNEN” In doing so, however, the main Dutch dictionary is no real help to us. Next best thing is an etymological dictionary (go figure!) that explains an “ijskonijn” as a cold, rigid person. Not something we feel applies very well to our case. Also best way to translate this freely to English would be an ‘ ice-rabbit’ or ‘snow-rabbit’. |
The real origin of our Blog’s name is – who else- Bibi's Mother. When we told her we would be moving to Norway she said: “As if it isn’t cold enough here, you bunch of snow-rabbits (ijskonijnen)!”.
We kind of stuck to that name and set out to live up to it, in our own way.Now, a year later, I dare to say that we actually re-defined the term IJskonijn in more than one way. These rabbits (us) love the crude, harsh and pure ways of nature. Nothing polished, engineered or comfortable. Rather put on our skies and labour ourselves for 7 hours through tough conditions to really taste and experience the raw nature. Merely being guests in the Big White Landscape.
But thanks to our Blog here, an Ijskonijn has also become a passionate person, one that loves to share the experience, the love and the passion for being out there. Trying to capture a little bit of this experience in words and bring it to our readers, or better: bring our readers to the experience. I mean, what is actually cooler than inspiring someone by means of your stories to go out and experience nature for themselves?!
So there you have it: Ijskonijn/ Snow rabbit: from cold and rigid to passionate and energetic. Hope we can continue to live up to it!
Bibi & Michiel
P.S. Slowly but surely we’ve found out that more and more people are actually reading our blog, so cool! We greatly appreciate feedback, questions, or anything else that we could do/answer. So please leave a message here or get in contact with us if you wish to comment!
We kind of stuck to that name and set out to live up to it, in our own way.Now, a year later, I dare to say that we actually re-defined the term IJskonijn in more than one way. These rabbits (us) love the crude, harsh and pure ways of nature. Nothing polished, engineered or comfortable. Rather put on our skies and labour ourselves for 7 hours through tough conditions to really taste and experience the raw nature. Merely being guests in the Big White Landscape.
But thanks to our Blog here, an Ijskonijn has also become a passionate person, one that loves to share the experience, the love and the passion for being out there. Trying to capture a little bit of this experience in words and bring it to our readers, or better: bring our readers to the experience. I mean, what is actually cooler than inspiring someone by means of your stories to go out and experience nature for themselves?!
So there you have it: Ijskonijn/ Snow rabbit: from cold and rigid to passionate and energetic. Hope we can continue to live up to it!
Bibi & Michiel
P.S. Slowly but surely we’ve found out that more and more people are actually reading our blog, so cool! We greatly appreciate feedback, questions, or anything else that we could do/answer. So please leave a message here or get in contact with us if you wish to comment!
Who We Are
Michiel Warmerdam, born 05 Febr 1984 in The Netherlands
"Citius, Altius, Fortius" It could be his motto! Michiel rarely ever does things half-harted. Especially not the things he's passionate about. After a childhood spent mainly abroad (Switserland, UK and Norway) it comes as no surprise where his love for mountains and the outdoors comes from. His tall statue sometimes poses for challenges in cold climates to keep his extremities warm, but so far we've managed well. In "regular day life" he is a self-confessed nerd in Noise and Vibration research and an avid cyclist and ice-skater. |
Bibi Klaassen, born 03 July 1982 in The Netherlands
Maybe already born with her "head in the clouds" into a family in the aviation sector as a daughter to a pilot and a stewardess. Travel to far and strange places has been part of her life from the young age of 3 and onward. Whether this is also the origin of her language-capabilities? No one knows. But she loves to learn knew languages, easily understands and adapts to different cultures and can build bridges where neccesary. In "regular life" she works in the Offshore Wind industry and has difficulty choosing between running, cycling, rowing, climbing and horse-riding! |