Fake ice or how to get disapointed quickly

Yesterday my husband, offered me one thing if I cleared up the mess in the house. He offered to take me ice skating. Well, i love skating. On ice I feel like a different person, I feel free and light. So I cleared up in less than 40 minutes, got changed, grabbed my skates and off we went. All the way to the ice rink I was so excited, I was thinking what tricks I am going to do, and how to impress my husband. Eventually we arrived in St Lary the town where we were told there is an ice rink. With shaky hands I took my pink skates bag, and holding my husbands hand I entered what I thought was an ice rink. First impression wasn't good. The rink was full of children. I am one those skaters who do care about the others and I am simply petrified of hurting someone while doing some trick. Then we started looking at the rink closely. I couldn't understand why all the children wore crash helmets and no gloves (well it's cold to fall over on ice). Then I noticed that ice wasn't ice. There where big blocks stuck together and they didn't look icy at all. I slowly walked closer to the rink and to my shock it wasn't ice! It was plastic, it was a fake rink. I wanted to turn arround and go home. My husband insisted I might as well try this fake ice, as I am here. So I went paid for my ticket and asked one of the staff members to remove the rust of my skates. They were surprised to see rust and they couldn't understand where it come from. I in the meantime tried to explain to them in my poor french that it's the water of the ice. They just didn't want to hear any of it.
I got to the rink, or just outside the rink. The 30 kids are running about on the fake ice, the rink is so tiny I was surprised they haven't killed each other yet. I am putting my skating boots on, five little girls are bending over the barrier looking at my exspensive skates. (A Christmas present from my husband) My husband just couldn't resist the opportunity and whispered in one of the girls ears:"She is the champion of France!" and the gossip spread quickly, in few seconds time there were at least 15 of those kids staring at me like I was from another planet. Eventually I asked my husband what's going on. He told me. I was shocked and quickly tried to "repair" the situation. I kept repeating in my poor french, I am not a champion of France. My husband simply interupted and said:
"That's true, she's the champion of England!"
I just walked away, I knew I am not going to win.
Carefully I stepped onto the fake ice. A little girl approached me and announced:
"The ice is not real", "I know that" I admit it was difficult not to notice. I attemped to skate off. it was disaster! I couldn't glide! I had to plough my way through! For 30 minutes I was trying to build the speed up to do a simple trick. In vain. By the time I was fast enough to do something Ihad a kid in front of me, a bend or simply couldn't prepare for the trick fast enough to keep the speed. I gave in. I walked of the ice, all miserable. Took my skates off and walked out of the rink. I realised it's not going to be soon until the next time my skates see some real ice...
And just one thing kept bothering me - couldn't they get some real ice of the top of the mountains?