Anotherblog

In Hengelo

We arrived in Hengelo yesterday morning, after a biglong plane flight and a bit of a train trip, of which there is little to report except that the weather in Hong Kong was very, very thundery, and we had an almost-landing in which the pilot pulled out of the approach ’cause it was too rough. And yeah, I was right with him on that one. Funny: the plane engines make a really unmelodic whiny sound when they’re pulling a plane back up to circling altitude in heavy rain.

Anyway, we’re here, in the hotel used for the film “The Shining”, by which I mean the interior decor is quite remarkable and not a little scary. There was a minor kerfuffle with the hotel booking: it had been cancelled by our imfamously inept travel agents. Fortunately, we were able to rebook without any trouble.

Hengelo on a Sunday is very, very quiet. There’s a very big pedestrian area in the centre of town – about a dozen street’s worth – and for most of the day it was completely deserted as Craig N. and I wandered around looking for something to do. In the end, we hired bikes (of which there are lots and lots) and rode to Enschede, where the University (and the SVG Open conference) is. There are separate bike lanes, bike lights, and incredibly, a completely separate bike lane, separated by islands, on the roundabouts. I’m just beginning to get used to riding on the other side of the road again.

Anyhoo. Dutch cuisine is more or less nonexistant, so we concentrated on the local brews last night, which means that this morning I am a little woozy. Nothing a bike ride won’t fix.

Photos to come. Craig N. has a camera with him.