A Quick Trip To The Netherlands . Trains Planes and Automobiles.

A friend of mine was getting married in the Netherlands last month. He was from my Primark days. We all did a stint in Germany for a few years and then I came home but he went and started setting up stores in the Netherlands. I am sure @brittandjosie was delighted to see some of the stores set up on her doorstep. Anyway the wedding was called off due to Covid the first time but we couldn't go anyway because my wife was pregnant at the time so we turned the invite down so for some reason we didn't think we were going to be invited to this one. So I received a message in August saying are you still coming to the wedding. I just said yes like males do when they are put on the spot. I sheepishly told my wife that I had said yes to the wedding. She didn't mind of such but the baby and little girl needed minding so she got onto the younger nanny to look after them for the weekend. The older nanny on my side is for more daily minding. Any overnight stays are for the younger nanny for a number of different reasons, stamina probably the biggest reason. OK sorted. The dog and cat are included in the entourage so it was picture seeing them at the nannies house with their beds and food as well.
So we planned to fly out the Friday before the wedding. 3pm was the flight. Land in Amsterdam around 4pm (5pm their time). Quick train down to a little city called Breda. Arrive in around 7pm just in time for the pre wedding nerve drinks which was great. Meeting up with everyone again and catching up. That was the plan. But then real life hits and scubber those plans.

Flight delayed.

Cousin Trevor works in airport on the ground. I text him. Plane is still in Schiphol. Technical glitch.
It will be here in around 2 hours. Ok 5pm. I will have a drink here at the airport. My wife went shopping. I was happy and she was happy. It's our airport unspoken about truce. I won't ask how much she spent if she doesn't ask how much I drank once I can get on the flight. Anyway flight took off a 6pm. Just an hour over. Maybe a bit longer. Landed in Amsterdam at 8pm their time. Ran to the train station. Some blonde beautie pawned an Irish auld one off on me to show her how to buy a train ticket. I helped her but took around 3 minutes. Wife sees through charm and tells me the train is here and it's boarding. Left auld one tap her credit card. We ran down and doors shut. I got ate by my wife for a helping a defenceless old lady. This was a new giving out to. Anyway we had to wait until 9.30 for the next bloody train so we got a bite to eat. We watched the little old lady board her train and I got a strange look from my wife.
Waited for 9.30 train. It came up cancelled. FFS. This wouldn't happen in Germany I said to my wife who was still fuming over oldwomangate. Next train was at 1030. At around 10pm this came up cancelled also so we were stuck in Schiphol. We went to the helpdesk to give out and the lady just gave us an alternative route to take train to Leiden then Rotterdam and then to Breda.
Jumped on that train at 11pm and got the connections that they told us. There was one we had to sprint to as the platform was at the other side of the station and there was 3 minutes between departure and arrival. We went all around the houses, thinking of being at home drinking wine instead of traipsing around the Netherlands. We finally got to Breda and hotel was in some industrial estate so we had to wait for a taxi. The driver was from Afghanistan and told us the last time he met an Irish person , they hit him on the head with a hammer and stole all his money. Not a great conversation starter in the middle of the night in a car in a foreign country. We finally got to hotel. 2am Everyone was in bed except for a few Dubs.

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhattttttttttttttttttttttssssssssssss the story bud?

We were in the right place anyway. The groom is from Clondalkin and people from there are constantly asking everyone what the story was. The girls from there are scantily clad as well to my delight. Someone passed us by at reception and I have seen male swimmers with more clothes on.
We are definitely in the right place.

The wedding took place in an old flour mill in Breda which was very nice. A pasture from the Netherlands performed the ceremony which I found very nice. He spoke about the couple from growing up to the present day which I found in very good taste. There was a free bar also which was a nice surprise and 100 what's the stories rang out with glee when this was communicated. The was not a hint of Covid in the Netherlands at the time so it was a relaxing atmosphere all round.

The next day we went to a little suburb in Breda and sat out and had food and drank for the day and it was a lovely atmosphere. The food was great and it was a nice day all around. There is something nice about the Netherlands. Even though the first day was a disaster the following two days were really nice and I could see why so many of my friends stayed there to live.