How do you organize a whirlwind? I think I'll unwind it from the end of the trip and move my way to the beginning. Starting with the end of the trip, here is a rundown:
Day 12/13: Reykjavik, Iceland - We arrive as the sun is disappearing early since they have about 5 hours of light this time of year. There is snow on the ground and we are greeted by gusty winds and a clear sky. The flybus experience is led by the sternest, silent types as we blindly head to our expedia booked hotel. We immediately head to the area where the northern lights may greet us, even though the NASA scale says it's only a 3-4 on a ten point activity scale. There is a guide that speaks english and he looks off at small bands of light and says dramtically "you have now seen the northern lights"... I think uh oh, what a downer, that's all it is?! As I run off to get a tripod, I figure at least I can catch those lights. I turn back around and the lights are dancing and expanding. There are colors and the entire sky is lit up with sparkle as the solar winds blow back and forth. The activity scale ended up at a 9 by the end of the night, and the guide said it was "as good as it gets". It was seriously the most amazing natural wonder I've ever seen. I had a small world moment when I met a guy I knew of in high school while hangin out in the cold. Iceland is cold, but the people are somewhat colder. Not really mean, just bored and despressive. Iceland in the daylight looked like the moon with its craggy rocks. The city is modern and linear. It is worth visiting.
Day 11: Eindhoven, Netherlands - We left in a windstorm. The Dutch news that morning showed a guy trying to keep his bike from flying up in the air. Eindhoven had been our hub for the entire Netherlands experience. We got to know a great group of grad students and faculty at the TU/e, the technical univ. Beer is cheaper than water in this non-touristy part of the Netherlands (it's less than 1 euro). We stayed right across the way from the Queen where we were frequents. There are people on bikes everywhere you go and the train station has more bike parking than car.
Day 10: Delft/Veghel - We head out early to visit a management consultant that works with students from the university in Delft. We end up walking to the old town area to visit the shops that sell Delft blue china and stroopwafels (
syrup filled cookies). There is a clock tower view which the gift shop woman says is 376 steps up. She neglects to mention that those steps are up wooden spiral stairs. We hoof it up and end up with a great view with little bits of snow flurries. We then head back to visit the biz incubator at Eindhoven and a company that started from it called Novameer. They make polymer panels that are layered to make bullet proof vests, etc.
Day 9: Eindhoven - Students were put on the spot again to present their technologies. Mid stream in the afternoon, I end up at the hospital with one of the students because her wrist was squeaking. The doctor couldn't do much for her sprain, but we walked out with free first aid kits. The total expense for the visit was 24 euros and we were taken care of almost immediately. It was interesting to see how the system worked.
Day 8: Arnhem/Nijmegen - We head to Azko Nobel to visit the Ideation manager who begins to explain the importance of valorization (to benefit society). Someone made up these words to be innovative but they've caught on throughout Europe. The Azko folks emphasized sustainability. Their PR campaign emphasizes "what is your point" which seems like a really good question to answer. We head out to the university in Nijmegen to visit their magnetic facility and nano labs. We then met up with my boss' wife's family for dinner of pancakes with spek and gouda (bacon and cheese) and a sweet cinnamon version.
Day 7: Gouda/Utrecht - The weekend was clear and today the sun even peaked through. One of the students traveling with us decided that sunshine equaled flip flops. This would've been fine if it wasn't 40 degrees. My camera continued gorging itself on the canals and town hall/cheese weighing buildings from the 1500s. We enjoyed a lunch of gouda soup and a sandwich with tandorri turkey and indian sauce. All sandwiches are eaten with knives and forks. We then headed to the Utrecht as the sun set to see the posh canal restaurants and towering churches. I was excited by the opportunity for some night photography.
Day 6: Amsterdam - A feast for my camera kicked off the weekend. We hopped on a museoboat that cruises through the city canals to stop at each major museum stop. The camera took a break inside of each museum, but I still can't get over how much ground we covered. First stop was the Rijksmuseum which currently houses Rembrandt's most famous works. I was amazed at some of the works I saw in person, but even more amazed at the Van Gogh Museum when I was standing in front of Van Gogh's irises and sunflowers. We then hopped back on the boat and cruised to the Anne Frank House. It was a moving experience to hear stories of the people that helped them. We then visited the hiding place which was surprisingly spacious. It may be bigger than our current apartment, which is decent but not necessarily for 8 people. It was a relaxed visit, so we were all muted by it for just a bit. We then headed to a funny western steakhouse with crazy salsa music playing. The tone shifted and we ended up briefly walking down the alleys in the red light district. It was only 8pm or so, and I'm not sure if that is why it seemed so tame, but it was not what I expected. Besides the guy walking around with a marijuana plant on his head, it didn't seem much different than Las Vegas. I headed back to Eindhoven, but some of the students stayed the night. I don't want to know what went on after that.
Day 5: Eindhoven Philips Research - This is the techy hub of the area. We visited a bunch of labs and big wig types. I really enjoyed Philips because they are hip and showed us cool new things. Some we were sworn to secrecy before seeing, but one cool one already on the market is a mirror with a display built in that fades in with info when you turn on an appliance (like you can get the weather report for the day while you use their shaver). It was another chance for the students to attempt to sell their technologies. This time they were ripped apart just like they would be in front of real venture capitalists. It was sometimes difficult to watch, but they survived.
Day 4: Urmond - We drive about an hour in a wind tunnel in a tall eight passenger van. While constantly steering, my boss wanted me to pass him cholcolate biscuits smeared with Dutch peanut butter. No exaggeration, it is the best peanut butter I've ever had. We left the van full of biscuit crums and headed into DSM to talk with them about innovations. The students gave their first technology pitch presentations. Some did better than others, but the panel that critqued them was honest and fair. They've created technologies like a dummy manneguin that you can put "fake medical skin" on for medical training. The funniest part is hearing the student explain to the Dutch what she means by simulated goosebumps. We drove back to Eindhoven in a monsoon rainstorm that could compete with Tucson in August.
Day 3: Amsterdam World Trade Center - We are still jet lagged, but we hop back on the train for Amsterdam. The students I'm travelling with are part of a business innovation program with a technical twist. The goal of this gradaute program is to help them consider how they could take their product to the market. We are on our way to visit CVC Capital Partners to hear about how they acquire businesses. They give us some examples of the spin-offs they've purchased. It struck me how open they were with details on their deals and even the World Trade Center itself had it's doors wide open.
Day 1/2: Eindhoven - We make our way from the Amsterdam airport about an hour south with our overloaded baggage and tired eyes. We arrive at the train station a few blocks from the
Crown Inn, where we ended up having to change rooms (because a double means one bed and a twin means two beds). Everyone is getting along well and the craziest guy on the trip lets us know it's his birthday. We wander across from our hotel to the
Queen, where they know my boss from his time living in Eindhoven during his sabbatical in 03/04. We visit often throughout the trip after our 4 hour long dinners, so I understand how he is a memorable customer. I eat my first croquette (crispy shell with mince meat in it along with salty fish stuff - herring mixed in a salad type thing and salmon) and I'm hooked. We ask for a birthday cake and they end up bringing our own fireworks display to the table on a tiered cake stand with all sorts of treats. The next morning kicks off with meeting the students and faculty at the University right across the way. Luckily almost everyone speaks english, so we don't have too much to worry about there. It is a highlight for me to get to know these students and find out how life is different for grad students. They will talk about anything. Even though they were apalled that I was married, I got along with them well. I'm excited that they will probably be reversing the visit to come to this area in the spring. We will have a difficult time showing them such a great time because this trip is a hard act to follow.
