Blogs from North Brabant, Netherlands, Europe - page 9

Wednesday 25/05/2011 I had booked a work slot at JMW for a change of scenery and the chance to see my JMW buddies again. The soccer-season is over, but there are still some functions held in the PSV stadium. I was positioned in one of the boxes to welcome a group having just listened to an inspirational talk about how to handle employees. They obviously couldn’t handle their liquor, as all I managed to get off my welcome-tray was orange juice and water. A large tent/ marquee had been pitched in the right-hand goal mouth of the field, where the supporter’s club had their function. Tables had been set out on the field, as the marquee didn’t have an ounce of ventilation. Obviously sun is not a factor taken into account with the Dutch hospitality industry… ... read more

You might have noticed that the intermission between blogs is becoming rather long. This is not due to my inability to write any more as my fingers crumble under the weight or beer-laden trays, but rather from my desire to spend some time doing other fun random things instead of behind a computer during my spare time! However, I do have some stories to tell and have managed to find the time to document some new European adventures. Wednesday 04/05/2011 I had an 11am start at work which meant catering for the coffee, lunchtime and afternoon hoards of terrace-addicted Dutch. It was predictably busy, but starting so early also meant I got to end early. It is always a weird feeling; ending in the dusk-light rather than the sunrise-light. I managed to find space on the ... read more

Eveline and I had organised an awsome party on the roof Thursday night, inviting all my international and Dutch friends, students from my minor and her friends. It was to welcome Eveline home and for me to say goodbye to all the wonderful friends I've made in Breda. We asked people to bring a speciality dish of their culture and I ended up staying up till 5am singing with the French who bought their guitars! I was asked to hold another one and thought the same as I still had a week left and not everyone made it to the last party so I organised one for the last Friday before I flew back to London Saturday! My neighbours were there this time too and helped us out with the music. I saw more faces again, ... read more

Thursday (14/04/2011) Philipp and Fabian arrived in the afternoon, They rang the doorbell of number 1 Adriaen Poirterslaan by mistake, as I’d omitted the “9” in the sms I sent with the address. After giving me a call I went and fetched them at the end of the road on my earthwing. Smiles spread quickly and it was so good to see such a friendly face again! After a bit of lunch I had to start getting ready to work at PSV that evening. Fabian and Philipp were going to stay and watch a movie. Opa and Oma were away camping in Limburg so they said it was a really weird feeling being in my grandparent’s house, watching TV and waiting for me to come home. PSV was intense. I was assigned to be one of ... read more

Looking around Eindhoven, it's hard to believe that it is one of the oldest cities in The Netherlands, established in 1225, Eindhoven has changed a lot since then. The major changes were brought about by the establishment of Philips and co. in 1891. img=https://www.happenentrappen.nl/viewImage.php?image=regions/9fc4ce461722f39a097f4cec55712827.jpg center The main entertainment centre of the city is located opposite the Eindhoven station with plenty of restaurants, pubs and movie theatres. My favourite restaurant there was a Chinese noodle shop named "Wok Away". It was a boon for me as I love Chinese(Original) noodles. The whole of the surrounding area is a shopping spot with dozens of shops displaying a variety of things ranging from boots to lotions to chocolates. This central area is also home to TATA's TCS office! IKEA, the world famous home products company has a bran... read more