18th & 19th June 2008 Oldenzaal, Holland

This was a business trip, but it was a gentle pace and the scenery was excellent.

Flew into Schipol from Leeds Bradford on an early morning flight, and got my ticket to Oldenzaal - I was going by rail. I had a couple of changes but these were effortless. The trains were clean and quite comfortable - benches not individual seats - and they ran exactly to time. Just 5 minutes between trains? No worries - you will make your connection!

Views from the train of the such countryside were very nice. But listen carefully to the announcements - they are in Dutch only, not like the airport where they are in English as well.

Bit of a hitch when I got to Oldenzaal - no taxis! In fact this was a problem throughout the visit. So to work . . . but they closed at 4:30pm so I was soon at my hotel in the centre of this lovely town.

The evening was pleasant and sunny so a gentle stroll was in order. Typical Dutch architecture - such a delight to see, and an old church to delight the eyes as well.

The next morning this was my view as I finished breakfast and waited for my taxi to the warehouse where I was fitting some IT kit.

That task was soon completed and by early afternoon I was on my way home. Again the lack of taxis in Oldenzaal meant I was driven to the next town to catch my train.

The train pulled out minutes after I'd arrived and it was back towards Schipol. Got there hours before my flight so plenty of time for dinner - but little did I know how much time, as my flight was delayed several hours. Oh well, it was still a pleasant trip, and I was paid to do it as well. Lucky me.

Oldenzaal is down near the German border and yet so many people spoke English it makes travel easy, as does the excellent train service. Holland - great place to visit.