So I made it back, and seemingly in plenty of time too. What I thought may be a nightmare journey turned out to be pretty reasonable really.
I managed to finish up with ze cliente a bit early and arranged for a crazy dutch man oddly called 'Barry' (i can't imagine that is a particularly popular name in holland?) to drive me to Rotterdam central. He spoke better english than my Dutch, (limited to Ja!) and we had a chat about london, amsterdam, current dutch politics and some of his personal interests including some rather odd news stories circulating around his region.
Once I got to Rotterdam central station I met a lovely lady with a mobile ticket machine, who couldn't sell me a ticket, and didn't have the english to explain why. She managed to direct me to the main ticket office. Where like at a deli counter you get a ticket. 'A ticket to buy a ticket' how novel I thought, eventually I manage to get to a desk with a very helpful lady who decided it was quicker for me to catch the slow train. I thought about questioning it but decided that I'd trust her and bought the specific ticket I needed.
I digress slightly here to make a point around the trains in Europe...
Firstly I must point out that in my experience they are wholeheartedly more appealing, reliable and less rickety, crammed and smelly than in our own country. However there are definitely some regional differences, In Belgium they just do what they say they will, in Germany the myth of German efficiency is exactly that. I'm not sure in my circa 20-30 German train trips I have got the train 'on time' more than 5 times! In Holland however it seems to be different, the trains are the same double decker jobs that haunt the rail systems of most of western europe but in Holland they are on time and usually pretty good. My challenge however is with the complexity of the ticketing systems. It seems there are 4 different places to buy up to 6 different types of tickets for 3 different rail networks with machines that don't seem to take any UK credit cards. All in all Rotterdam central station slightly scares me. So god knows what it does to a less seasoned traveller turning up for the first time! this was my 3rd trip to rotterdam and it still confused me!
Anyway, having said all that I made it to Schipol airport with plenty of time for my flight. Now Schipol is massive. Im not sure the stats but I know in terms of airport size its up there with heathrow, JFK and others so after checking in I had what felt like a 3 mile hike to the 'spur' of gates I was departing from, I grabbed some noodles and went through security to the waiting area.
Now here is where the only interesting thing from the trip home happened. It turns out that I was on the flight with non other than Terry Pratchett, Now he's unmissable with his black hat and white beard and I realised that this was not the first time I'd been on the same flight as him, He must travel back from amsterdam quite regularly because Ive definitely been on several flights with him over the last year or so. I came perilously close to saying hello and making some twatty statement like 'Ive read loads of your books and they are great' or 'Hey Terry, love your creations' but then I remembered that 1.I wasn't 100% sure it actually was him (I googled his image when I got home to be sure!) and 2. would he really care what some guy he has never met thinks? Of course I could open with 'Ive been on the same flight as you lots of times Terry me old mucka' but then I'd be sure to have some kind of law enforcement waiting for me at the other end with a stalking related accusation!
Of course he was in Business and I wasn't but still had the plane gone down at least I'd have been a stat in a somewhat bigger news story.
So once we landed back in the UK, got picked up and brought home and was very happy to get into my own bed. Just a shame I had a meeting the next morning but hey ho life goes on... It can't all be the excitement of ham and cheese rolls and travel wash bags now can it?
Until next time...
Joe
Sunday 13 February 2011
Tuesday 8 February 2011
All going well, 4 course meals and some giant Bunsen burners
Just a short entry about today. Got up, 5am technically, ie I'm still on UK time. It may only be an hour but it's my hour and my body doesnt feel comfortable without it. Had some breakfast, managed to cobble together a kind of bacon sandwich steering between the acres of ham and cheese (they are out to get me I tell you)
Met up with my client, then we headed over to the site.
Course is going well, good bunch of delegates and fairly typical.
the fun didn't really start until the end of the day. It was getting dark and I was determined to get a photo of the site with the pretty lights, but they were not allowing photography on the site. so as we were driving off back to the hotel we sneakily grabbed a few then. Ill post them next time as its getting late.
We went for a really nice meal in what sounded like 'Smack de brielle' or something. Thankfully the food was better than the name. I had smoked duck breast which was quite simply amazing, I had no idea that much flavour could be packed into a few small slivers of meat. I then had a bacon and potato soup followed by halibut and vegetables and a chocolate desert. was delicious! if you ever happen to be in this neck of the woods (which is unlikely I grant you) then be sure to check it out, its next to the canon, stocks and statue in Brielle.
Good day, and no doubt less stressful than tomorrow where I am down to do about 3 days work in one day and then try and get home on a horrible journey.
talk soon
Joe
Met up with my client, then we headed over to the site.
Course is going well, good bunch of delegates and fairly typical.
the fun didn't really start until the end of the day. It was getting dark and I was determined to get a photo of the site with the pretty lights, but they were not allowing photography on the site. so as we were driving off back to the hotel we sneakily grabbed a few then. Ill post them next time as its getting late.
We went for a really nice meal in what sounded like 'Smack de brielle' or something. Thankfully the food was better than the name. I had smoked duck breast which was quite simply amazing, I had no idea that much flavour could be packed into a few small slivers of meat. I then had a bacon and potato soup followed by halibut and vegetables and a chocolate desert. was delicious! if you ever happen to be in this neck of the woods (which is unlikely I grant you) then be sure to check it out, its next to the canon, stocks and statue in Brielle.
Good day, and no doubt less stressful than tomorrow where I am down to do about 3 days work in one day and then try and get home on a horrible journey.
talk soon
Joe
Monday 7 February 2011
Brielle near Rotterdam, Holland Day 1
Hello,
It's been a long day. up at 5am, tiptoeing around the house like a daddy long legs (except im quite short really) trying my best not to awake the monster (and freddy) as that would mean endless pain for both the wifey and me on my return. 5.30am pickup by the nice driver in his merc S class, thats the one that is lovely to look at, got masses of leg room but sounds like a churchill tank whenever he touches the accelerator.
Get to the airport just past 6am where it was surprisingly busy. The driver informs me that at 4.30am when he dropped a colleague of mine off it was really quiet. That would be because everyone with any sense is still in bed. I should feel lucky with my 5am lie in then should I?
Get to the airport and as usual, check in, normal seat over the wing (that way I figure im on top of the fuel tanks so if we do drop out of the sky like a sack of spuds at least it would be quick), look that's just the way my brain operates. It's the same logic as when I fly business I feel better because people in business don't die. (so ive decided)
I fight my way through security, and grab a bite to eat and a coffee. I always seem to arrive ten minutes before the gate is announced, and therefore I always end up at the other end of the terminal to the gate that gets announced. A22? nope A4, A3? nope A21, dammit. as luck would have it I was wrong this time and it was A12 smack bang in the middle, just my luck, now the plane will crash...
So we have the usual crazy boarding dance of 'im cool man, im in no hurry ill just be cool and wait why all you stressed out business types queue up unnecessarily maan' Let me tell you something if you are one of these people. You try boarding BA's short haul europe flights on either a monday morning or thursday night with this attitude and tell me you can find somewhere to put your bags! Ill queue if I want to, Ill bloody stand at the front of the queue and if you stop me ill feed you to the engines.
So the flight itself was ok, bit bumpy in the clouds but im ok with that now, I would even marginally say I get a little kick out of it.
We land in amshterjam and have the usual 27 miles taxi to the airport. Basically Schipol has some agreement with BA that if you fly in from heathrow the only runway you are allowed to use is the north one. which is basically a different airport. I saw more of holland on that taxi run than the rest of the trip combined.
I get off the plane and as I depart notice the first officer (who flew the plane as the captain obviously couldnt be arsed) looked about 11 years old. i swear the captain just brought his son in on some 'bring your kid to work day' and let him have a go... that can't be safe on an airline surely?
Next I have to figure my way to getting a train from schipol to rotterdam. Now my final destination was brielle so I thought like a nocturnal soap covered prison warden i'd have a stab in the dark and see if any trains went there.
I approached a guy in what I could only assume was some kind of railway related uniform who looked like a cross between mr bean's mutilated cousin and lurch taking a s$%t and kindly asked if he spoke english, of course he did. and I asked if I could get a train to brielle, he satisfyingly stated that brielle didnt even have a train station. So I asked him his recommendation and he stated 'go somewhere else'. Helpful.
Now luckily my good wife has sussed out some possibilities for me on the good old interweb previously so I knew that worst case I could head for Rotterdam central and make my way from there. So that's what I did. got the train.
As a side note my headcandy headphones totally disintegrated on the train. must be something about the dutch air. it was headphone padding carnage.
I got to Rotterdam and found a friendly taxi driver who could drive me to brielle, for the princely sum of 82 euros. Not that I had alot of choice, it was that or the bus to some other town nearer and go from there but didn't fancy that!.
In the taxi we passed the wonders of the industrial side of rotterdam, canals / barges / oil tankers / refineries / factories - all surprisingly interesting to look at.
Got to brielle and found the hotel, was dutifully informed that I couldnt check in for another couple of hours. Joy... Brielle is quite a quaint querky little town, like a kind of yodeling tetbury. Had a wonder around for a bit took a few pics and got cold so went back and sat in the hotel restaurant and did some work.
Whilst I was sat there one of the oddest but most benial things occurred. the place was totally empty when 6 people came and sat next to me, then proceeded for over an hour to negotiate (in dutch of course) over the new crockery for the restaurant. It turns out that the dutch don't have a word for 'sideplate' (other than 'sideplate') I found this quite amusing.
Once I could check in I went to my room and caught up on emails while I waited for my client to turn up.
Once he did we headed over to the site where we are running the programme tomorrow and set up for the course. all went very smoothly.
Then we came back and grabbed some chinese and a couple of beers.
So I'm knackered now (which apparently in germany means drunk so mildly applies in both respects) so I am off to bed.
Will let you know how the rest of the trip goes. The journey home challenged by the deadline of a flight to catch should be interesting at least...
Joe
It's been a long day. up at 5am, tiptoeing around the house like a daddy long legs (except im quite short really) trying my best not to awake the monster (and freddy) as that would mean endless pain for both the wifey and me on my return. 5.30am pickup by the nice driver in his merc S class, thats the one that is lovely to look at, got masses of leg room but sounds like a churchill tank whenever he touches the accelerator.
Get to the airport just past 6am where it was surprisingly busy. The driver informs me that at 4.30am when he dropped a colleague of mine off it was really quiet. That would be because everyone with any sense is still in bed. I should feel lucky with my 5am lie in then should I?
Get to the airport and as usual, check in, normal seat over the wing (that way I figure im on top of the fuel tanks so if we do drop out of the sky like a sack of spuds at least it would be quick), look that's just the way my brain operates. It's the same logic as when I fly business I feel better because people in business don't die. (so ive decided)
I fight my way through security, and grab a bite to eat and a coffee. I always seem to arrive ten minutes before the gate is announced, and therefore I always end up at the other end of the terminal to the gate that gets announced. A22? nope A4, A3? nope A21, dammit. as luck would have it I was wrong this time and it was A12 smack bang in the middle, just my luck, now the plane will crash...
So we have the usual crazy boarding dance of 'im cool man, im in no hurry ill just be cool and wait why all you stressed out business types queue up unnecessarily maan' Let me tell you something if you are one of these people. You try boarding BA's short haul europe flights on either a monday morning or thursday night with this attitude and tell me you can find somewhere to put your bags! Ill queue if I want to, Ill bloody stand at the front of the queue and if you stop me ill feed you to the engines.
So the flight itself was ok, bit bumpy in the clouds but im ok with that now, I would even marginally say I get a little kick out of it.
We land in amshterjam and have the usual 27 miles taxi to the airport. Basically Schipol has some agreement with BA that if you fly in from heathrow the only runway you are allowed to use is the north one. which is basically a different airport. I saw more of holland on that taxi run than the rest of the trip combined.
I get off the plane and as I depart notice the first officer (who flew the plane as the captain obviously couldnt be arsed) looked about 11 years old. i swear the captain just brought his son in on some 'bring your kid to work day' and let him have a go... that can't be safe on an airline surely?
Next I have to figure my way to getting a train from schipol to rotterdam. Now my final destination was brielle so I thought like a nocturnal soap covered prison warden i'd have a stab in the dark and see if any trains went there.
I approached a guy in what I could only assume was some kind of railway related uniform who looked like a cross between mr bean's mutilated cousin and lurch taking a s$%t and kindly asked if he spoke english, of course he did. and I asked if I could get a train to brielle, he satisfyingly stated that brielle didnt even have a train station. So I asked him his recommendation and he stated 'go somewhere else'. Helpful.
Now luckily my good wife has sussed out some possibilities for me on the good old interweb previously so I knew that worst case I could head for Rotterdam central and make my way from there. So that's what I did. got the train.
As a side note my headcandy headphones totally disintegrated on the train. must be something about the dutch air. it was headphone padding carnage.
I got to Rotterdam and found a friendly taxi driver who could drive me to brielle, for the princely sum of 82 euros. Not that I had alot of choice, it was that or the bus to some other town nearer and go from there but didn't fancy that!.
In the taxi we passed the wonders of the industrial side of rotterdam, canals / barges / oil tankers / refineries / factories - all surprisingly interesting to look at.
Got to brielle and found the hotel, was dutifully informed that I couldnt check in for another couple of hours. Joy... Brielle is quite a quaint querky little town, like a kind of yodeling tetbury. Had a wonder around for a bit took a few pics and got cold so went back and sat in the hotel restaurant and did some work.
Whilst I was sat there one of the oddest but most benial things occurred. the place was totally empty when 6 people came and sat next to me, then proceeded for over an hour to negotiate (in dutch of course) over the new crockery for the restaurant. It turns out that the dutch don't have a word for 'sideplate' (other than 'sideplate') I found this quite amusing.
Once I could check in I went to my room and caught up on emails while I waited for my client to turn up.
Once he did we headed over to the site where we are running the programme tomorrow and set up for the course. all went very smoothly.
Then we came back and grabbed some chinese and a couple of beers.
So I'm knackered now (which apparently in germany means drunk so mildly applies in both respects) so I am off to bed.
Will let you know how the rest of the trip goes. The journey home challenged by the deadline of a flight to catch should be interesting at least...
Joe
Friday 4 February 2011
Learning about social media in London
So it seems apt that as I start my travel blog today.
"Start with a blog" was a key message today left me with. I've attended a social media course.
Really interesting and masses of food for thought.
I have slight brain overload to be fair so I'm going to break the rules with my first post.
apparently the first paragraph should be compelling. It will be next time I promise.
The point of this blog is to document my travels. I'm off to Rotterdam on Monday so it will start 'proper' then.
for now a quick ta ta
Joe
"Start with a blog" was a key message today left me with. I've attended a social media course.
Really interesting and masses of food for thought.
I have slight brain overload to be fair so I'm going to break the rules with my first post.
apparently the first paragraph should be compelling. It will be next time I promise.
The point of this blog is to document my travels. I'm off to Rotterdam on Monday so it will start 'proper' then.
for now a quick ta ta
Joe
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