from left, Sanne, Brett, John, Matt, Rowena, Wendy, Jokim (quim), Edwin, Femke, Mickey
I get of
the train in Leeuwarden
and walk the long long long way to the hotel. It take me a good 30 seconds to
get there from the station. I go in and try to check in. I share a room with
Brett and the woman in reception asks me for Brett's last name. Does Brett have
a last name? Hmm I don't know it but he is American - so his name got to be
Jones no - well then what about Pitt? Still no. Brett Bush then? That does not
work either and I borrow the phone to call Brett. He actually volunteer to walk
from the restaurant back to the hotel and pick me up - so I just wait and we
walk to the restaurant.
I get to
the restaurant and finally get to meet Wendy - a native of the country of Friesland - and the host, organizer, chauffeur, caterer,
interpreter and probably a few more things for the meet up. Rowena is helping a bit with the organizing.
She lives in Friesland but is
actually Dutch so basically she is part of the meet up organization as a representative
of the Dutch occupation authority to make sure all the foreigners will not try
to help out the freedom fighters in Friesland.
In the
restaurant we go for a nice tapas diner. With pollo loco, pollo deaddo, pollo mango,
pollo shreddo and a few more chickens. I don't really mind. After having spent
5 weeks in the Philippines
just before getting a wake up call by roosters almost everyday I am quite happy
to help in any effort to get rid of the chickens from the face of the planet.
Along with
the diner we get some nice sangria - and Brett seems to like the stuff more
than the chicken.
We got a
nice diner and we head of to the very first major activity of the meet-up.
Eden Oranje Hotel - unofficial TB meet-up hotel
I stayed at the Oranje van Eden hotel during the unofficial TB meet up in Friesland in August 2008. The location of the hotel can not be beaten. It is right across the road from the train station and a short walk away from the city centre.
The rooms are fine but not super big but they got what you would expect – like TV, shower and toilet plus a minibar if you really want to spend some extra cash.
A small minus was the last night the cleaners somehow forgot to clean our room but getting a few spare towels turned out to be no problem and it was pretty easy to get over the fact the bed were not made up.
The reception is open 24 hours and there is parking at the hotel for a fee of 8½ € a day or 1 € per hour. There is a good breakfast in the restaurant in the morning from 7 to 10 with all you need.
And as a must of a hotel hosting a TB meet up there is a business area with computers and high speed internet connections so you can get online and check up if there is any news on TB.
The hotel from the outside
Looking over at the train station
The restaurant area
The lobby area
Computers in the business area p
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