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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Sunday, 6 May 2001
--> Breda (NL)

About the hitch to my host Frank in Breda and Breda itself, the terrace and the biggest gift ever...

I woke up around 10 o'clock this morning and had a refreshing shower. When I got out, all fresh and glowing, Patricia and Alexandra were already preparing everything for breakfast.

After breakfast, I informed Patricia about my new host for the day, Frank in Breda. I had met him earlier this year at a web meeting in Utrecht, where it became apparent that he enjoys some alcohol, haha.

This inspired Patricia to give him a bottle of Dutch Dropshot, a highly alcoholic liqueur with a strong licorice flavor.

After packing my bag with this gift, I set off for Breda, about 20 miles south of Rotterdam. With the public transportation strip card sponsored by Charis and one from Patricia, I took the metro/tram to the nearest highway exit heading to Breda.

I waited in the warming sun for nearly 30 minutes before getting a ride from a guy who took me halfway. At that gas station, I quickly found a ride into the center of Breda.

The two guys who gave me a lift had heard about my project on television and were very excited to have me in their car. It was quite amusing! As we neared Breda, they asked why I was visiting, as they thought it was a pretty boring place. I was about to find out for myself.

They were delighted when I took a picture of them after they dropped me off in Breda!

I called Frank, my host for the evening, and he promptly picked me up from the street on his bike (it was quite a sight with me on the back and a 20-kilo backpack behind me).

Upon arriving at his apartment, I met his girlfriend Helie, who was still vacuuming the house to make it look pristine for my visit. They said it hadn't been this clean for ages! Haha.

In their living room, I handed over the gift from Patricia. Frank recalled a day last week when he had consumed a bottle of Dropshot with a friend and got quite drunk. Now, with another bottle, he might do the same thing again next week… Haha.

Regarding his gift, Frank didn’t have to think for long. He used to play on it a long time ago but lost the lyrics and doesn’t use it anymore: his acoustic guitar would be the next gift to my next host tomorrow!

I could already picture myself wandering around with my backpack and a guitar. Oh, my God. Didn’t I mention that the gifts shouldn’t be that large?! Wow...

In the center of Breda, Frank decided to relax on the terrace of the Hart van Breda for some beers in the sun.

Frank is also a Dutch blogger and writes with some friends on his blog at Punkey.com. One of these friends, who goes by Janneman, joined us on the terrace.

We discussed the uniqueness of my travel-through-the-internet project, my recent fine on the highway, and had a few laughs. The cigarette package I had from Charis was finally empty, so Janneman generously donated his tobacco to me. That was nice.

I’m not addicted, but I occasionally enjoy a cigarette. I know it's not great, but sometimes the pressure and stress get to me.

As the sun began to set behind some clouds, Frank and Helie gave me a quick tour of Breda’s center. While they agreed that this city wasn’t as exciting as Rotterdam, they pointed out some nice cafes that keep the city lively.

Back at Frank and Helie’s apartment, Frank prepared a delicious Mexican meal: Fajitas con pollo del Franco, which was fantastic!

Frank, along with a friend, also runs the website Frshdjs.com, a nationwide database and news site for Dutch DJs who can be reviewed and booked. His friend Hugo, also known as DJ Da Huge, came over with his girlfriend.

Frank reminded me of DJ Patrick Kicken, who was my radio host for the first night. He resembled him and could easily be a radio DJ himself—he’s honest, humorous, and very friendly. Nice guy, this Frank!

The whole group returned to the terrace and joined another group of DJs, including the well-known DJ Cor Fijneman from the Netherlands.

One of the guys, Jeroen, had a hilarious laugh and insisted on being photographed by me. He enjoyed talking about risqué topics (bathroom-related), and I had a good laugh about a girl who couldn’t handle any discussion about feet! She almost threw up when someone showed his bare feet and talked about feet-smelling cheeses. Crazy!

Around 1 o'clock in the morning, the place was closing up, so we headed back to the apartment where I did some writing on Frank’s computer until I eventually fell asleep much later...

The next morning, the house was empty...?!

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