Three meetings in one day
I had to get to Eindhoven for a busy schedule of three meetings in one day. I was planning to just zip onto the train—after all, the times and fares are nicely posted on the Internet, so I had gotten all the information while I was back in the US. But the travel challenges were to continue a bit longer.
First, the bus back to Schiphol didn’t come when it was supposed to. I should have realized this given what had happened the night before. So I was about 10 minutes later than I wanted to be upon arrival at the airport, which is also the train station.
Then I couldn’t use the ticket machines. The ones that took credit cards wouldn’t accept any of the cards I had. Apparently they only take MasterCard. But the cash machines don’t take bills! Who has 17.40 euros in coins? After going through all of this, it was too late to look for the actual ticket counter, whose location was not immediately apparent. I just went to the track and got on the train, which left right after I boarded.
The conductor didn’t come between Amsterdam and Duivendrecht, so I got that part free (sorry! I wasn’t meaning to cheat!). But it was made up for on the leg to Eindhoven. Buying the ticket on the train cost me 21 euros rather than the 17.40 I would have paid for the whole journey. I was lucky, too—as of Oct 1, they are going to start charging a penalty of 35 euros for anyone who buys a ticket on the train. I guess a lot of people are getting away with riding for free.
The Dutch countryside was fabulous in the early fall weather. It was shrouded in delicate mist that hovered over the bright green fields. I even saw a small windmill, completing the picture of Holland. When the day warmed up, it was perfect and mild. Everyone told me this was the best weather they’d had since the summer, and I was very lucky to see it. Apparently summers are quite humid and cloudy, while winters are chilly.
The Eindhoven cab drivers are something else. They drive Mercedes and dress in 3-piece suits. They take 15 to 30 minutes to show up when called, and you ride in the front seat with them. Every journey seems to take about 20 minutes and cost about 20 euros. It’s some kind of different business from driving a cab in the US!
As I gave a tip, I commented that I had to remember to do that, since tipping is not done in Asia, where I usually travel. Two of the cab drivers I had were surprised by that, and had noticed that Asians tend not to tip them. At least they know why now, so maybe I’ve done a small favor for international diplomacy.
One driver was especially nice. She gave me a recommendation for a good Egyptian restaurant near my hotel (alas, I didn’t get to go). And she pointed out a new supermarket that had the convenient feature of being open until 10 pm. The other stores close at 8 pm, and 6 pm on weekends! Eindhoven is indeed a smallish town (about 200,000 people, but basically smallish).
Actually, for one leg of my journey between all these meetings (which were in three widely-separated locations), the cab just wasn’t showing up. I was a little late already, and didn’t have the 15-30-minute interval required. It happened that a secretary from the company I was just leaving was finished for the day, and she was kind enough to drive me. It saved 20 euros, and it was fun to chat with a regular person. She told me about her two kids, and how it was nice to be able to work half days.
Three meetings in one day is too many, by the way. I was exhausted. And to my embarrassment, I nearly fell asleep in a mid-afternoon meeting where it was just me and the guy I was meeting!!
So I was especially amused that my hotel in Eindhoven offered a “pillow menu.” No kidding. They offered 5 thicknesses with various kinds of stuffing, and if you didn’t like the standard one on your bed, you could call up and order one from the menu! I didn’t do it, but it’s a creative touch.
My company’s CEO and head European sales guy were at the same hotel that night, after doing different meetings from me. So we had dinner there (alas, no chance for the Egyptian place). It was decent. I especially liked the appetizer of a fried snowcrab claw. Strangely, the menu didn’t offer a salad, but we all ordered one anyway, and somehow the chef managed to serve it to us. I also noticed that the dessert menu didn’t have anything with chocolate in it. That made me realize that such a thing would be sacrilege in the US.
First, the bus back to Schiphol didn’t come when it was supposed to. I should have realized this given what had happened the night before. So I was about 10 minutes later than I wanted to be upon arrival at the airport, which is also the train station.
Then I couldn’t use the ticket machines. The ones that took credit cards wouldn’t accept any of the cards I had. Apparently they only take MasterCard. But the cash machines don’t take bills! Who has 17.40 euros in coins? After going through all of this, it was too late to look for the actual ticket counter, whose location was not immediately apparent. I just went to the track and got on the train, which left right after I boarded.
The conductor didn’t come between Amsterdam and Duivendrecht, so I got that part free (sorry! I wasn’t meaning to cheat!). But it was made up for on the leg to Eindhoven. Buying the ticket on the train cost me 21 euros rather than the 17.40 I would have paid for the whole journey. I was lucky, too—as of Oct 1, they are going to start charging a penalty of 35 euros for anyone who buys a ticket on the train. I guess a lot of people are getting away with riding for free.
The Dutch countryside was fabulous in the early fall weather. It was shrouded in delicate mist that hovered over the bright green fields. I even saw a small windmill, completing the picture of Holland. When the day warmed up, it was perfect and mild. Everyone told me this was the best weather they’d had since the summer, and I was very lucky to see it. Apparently summers are quite humid and cloudy, while winters are chilly.
The Eindhoven cab drivers are something else. They drive Mercedes and dress in 3-piece suits. They take 15 to 30 minutes to show up when called, and you ride in the front seat with them. Every journey seems to take about 20 minutes and cost about 20 euros. It’s some kind of different business from driving a cab in the US!
As I gave a tip, I commented that I had to remember to do that, since tipping is not done in Asia, where I usually travel. Two of the cab drivers I had were surprised by that, and had noticed that Asians tend not to tip them. At least they know why now, so maybe I’ve done a small favor for international diplomacy.
One driver was especially nice. She gave me a recommendation for a good Egyptian restaurant near my hotel (alas, I didn’t get to go). And she pointed out a new supermarket that had the convenient feature of being open until 10 pm. The other stores close at 8 pm, and 6 pm on weekends! Eindhoven is indeed a smallish town (about 200,000 people, but basically smallish).
Actually, for one leg of my journey between all these meetings (which were in three widely-separated locations), the cab just wasn’t showing up. I was a little late already, and didn’t have the 15-30-minute interval required. It happened that a secretary from the company I was just leaving was finished for the day, and she was kind enough to drive me. It saved 20 euros, and it was fun to chat with a regular person. She told me about her two kids, and how it was nice to be able to work half days.
Three meetings in one day is too many, by the way. I was exhausted. And to my embarrassment, I nearly fell asleep in a mid-afternoon meeting where it was just me and the guy I was meeting!!
So I was especially amused that my hotel in Eindhoven offered a “pillow menu.” No kidding. They offered 5 thicknesses with various kinds of stuffing, and if you didn’t like the standard one on your bed, you could call up and order one from the menu! I didn’t do it, but it’s a creative touch.
My company’s CEO and head European sales guy were at the same hotel that night, after doing different meetings from me. So we had dinner there (alas, no chance for the Egyptian place). It was decent. I especially liked the appetizer of a fried snowcrab claw. Strangely, the menu didn’t offer a salad, but we all ordered one anyway, and somehow the chef managed to serve it to us. I also noticed that the dessert menu didn’t have anything with chocolate in it. That made me realize that such a thing would be sacrilege in the US.
