Skill Unlocked! Ice Skating!

Another Sunday afternoon! And it is cold here in Germany! What to do? Ice Skating!!!

To make the maximum out of this cold weather, me and couple of friends decided to go to the ice skating. But before that we would need to eat something. So we decided to also visit a Gurdwara on the way and eat at the Langar.

Gurdwara

I had visited a few Gurdwara before but always with Sikh friends. This was the first time I was going with friends from other religions. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely comfortable, since I wasn’t sure myself on how one is expected to pray there.

The Gurdwara at Furth was a small shed, unlike the once that I had been in India. Nevertheless, the ambiance gave the same calm feeling as any other Gurdwara.

We were inside for sometime, everything was great – briefly. Then came the first setback. One of the Sikh worshipers seemed annoyed. Possibly he thought we were there for free food (Partly he was right, but also we genuinely wanted to see the Gurdwara).

He asked us to bow down to the Guru Granth Sahib. I felt deeply uneasy. I personally didn’t have a problem to bow but some friends were from other religion and also atheists. They understandably wouldn’t want to do it. I somehow felt responsible for putting them in that situation.

So some of us bowed and others didn’t. We took our seat and this person again insisted we all bow. We ignored him this time. Another worshiper was noticing this and later spoke to me, kindly asking that I should not take offense at what had been said.

Later, when we were standing outside, somewhat awkwardly, deciding whether or not to go for the snacks, an elderly man near the gate took us to the food place and got us seated. He spoke so warmly and lovingly that we couldn’t refuse.

We did not wait for the main Langar, as it was getting late for the ice skating. The bread pakoda, sweets and tea was very delicious.

Ice Skating

We had been noticing that the trains were full with football fans. There was a match between Nurnberg and Furth. Surprisingly, the ice skating place was near that same stadium where the match was being held.

First thing we noticed after getting down at the train station was LOTS of bear cans! Apparently, people enter the stadium half drunk so that you don’t have to pay for expensive beer at the stadium.

We could also hear the shouting at the stadium. The energy was intense and we could hear it from a long distance. It was just like the video games but more electrifying. Watch a match at the stadium : Added to wishlist.

We made it to the ice skating arena at PSD Bank Arena. The entry ticket with student discount is 6 Eur is valid from 1300 to 1800. The renting of the ice skates costed another 6 Eur.

The fun began as soon as we wore the skates. The first challenge was to stand on that blade even to reach the rink. It was challenging but easier than we thought. All of us could easily stand and balance on it. For most of us, it was the first time on skates.

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On the ice the story was completely different. I came to appreciate friction so much after a few minutes on the ice. Some of us started having falls as soon as we entered the rink. Where all the Indians were having a tough time balancing, the German friend was already gliding on the ice.

There were a lot of people at all levels of expertise there. Small kids who held on to penguins (skating aids) and others who were swift and could do hockey stops! We were like the small kids but without the penguins. So, we became the penguins falling and learning the hard way.

People were helpful. Seeing us fall an expert skater already came to us to give us some tips.

Some of the fun sights to remember was when a bunch of people who were themselves new were trying to help this guy. They ended up holding each other in a circle and couldn’t move anywhere.