Sometimes, quite unexpectedly and with no rhyme or reason, life hands you little presents.
Like today. I'm writing to you from a conference hotel in the Netherlands, preparing to start my first 'mission', which is basically just an interpreting assignment from the Commission, my employer, which is somewhere other than Brussels.
So I leave Brussels this morning, take the very agreeable Thalys to Amsterdam and then the local train to Alkmaar. So far, so routine.
Then, as the bus to Egmond aan Zee wends its way through the countryside, it becomes clear that the hotel is situated just a few hundred metres from an extremely picturesque beach.
Furthermore, it must be 28 degrees out, with not a cloud in the sky. And it's 2 in the afternoon, and I don't start work until tomorrow morning.
It would seem that there was no other option available. Time to go to one of the stores in the village, buy a towel and some swimming trunks and have at least an afternoon of very unexpected (and very welcome) beach holiday.
I've just come back into the hotel, suitably relaxed and with just a little colour from moderate sun exposure. And a pleasantly full stomach from dinner on a veranda overlooking the beach.
I thought you'd be relieved to know that we hard-working interpreters do get a break once in a while.
After all, tomorrow the rather difficult looking tax and excise conference starts.
Posted by Eurodan at June 8, 2004 7:08 PMBest of luck for tomorrow. I'm very happy that you seem to have found your niche. A very pleasant one it seems to be, too :-)
Posted by: Shyboy at June 8, 2004 9:06 PMWhat Adam said. I guess you'll be in full flow by now, so I hope it's going smoothly.
Posted by: matt at June 9, 2004 10:02 AM