Day 05 /// Belgium and the Netherlands
October 2, 2020
Only Meeting on the Beach of the Trip: the Hague
We began our first full day in continental Europe with more heavy rain, beginning with an outdoor interview with Thierry Durand of Minakem about highly potent APIs at the Université Libre de Bruxelles that turned out a bit funny, with us trying to stay professional while gradually becoming soaking wet.
We crossed over into the Netherlands for a stop in The Hague, where we first met with Maarten Pouw of Centrient Pharmaceuticals and chatted as we walked on the beach together, had a few beers, and shot some photos and videos using our drone. As an old friend of That’s Nice, Maarten discussed the old days and the current situation in the Netherlands, including the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We ended our day of relatively light driving that exposed us to picturesque and historic scenery, not to mention modern, international centers of parliament, justice, and life sciences, with a stop in Amsterdam to meet an old buddy of ours, Stu Morrison, who works for Screen Europe, a digital printing company. After getting a bit lost and ending up driving on a tram line, we checked into a hotel in Amsterdam and had probably our first truly decent meal of the trip before hitting the sack, a bit regretful that we weren’t able to see much of Amsterdam.
THE TEAM MET WITH:
Dr. Thierry Durand, Minakem; Maarten Pouw, Centrient Pharmaceuticals; Stuart Morrison, Screen Europe
