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Re: All these discussions about meeting venues

2010-09-13 10:25:50
Glen,

I had zero expectation that Maastricht would be anything like the city
I live in.  However, it never crossed my mind to think that the city
would be so deserted when I arrived, nor that I would end up on the
last train.  So, you are correct that i did not come prepared with a
list of taxi numbers, but that's because I have never had to do so on
any of my many trips to Europe.  My expectation, however misfounded
you believe it to be, is that the places where business meetings are
held, should have facilities suitable for travelers arriving at odd
hours from international destinations.  Certainly, I have learned a
good lesson and I will just rent a car if we ever have cities at
smaller towns again.

While I may seem to be the only one with these issues, I know for a
fact that others feel much the same as I do, they just would rather
not be be harangued in the way that I have been by business
"colleagues".  And, it's very, very sad that this hostility gets
extended to anyone that might actually have some empathy and is able
to actually understand what it's like for someone to encounter the
situation that I did.

Mary.


On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 9:11 PM, Glen Zorn <gwz(_at_)net-zen(_dot_)net> wrote:
Michael Dillon [mailto://wavetossed(_at_)googlemail(_dot_)com] writes:

...

I am really uninterested in discussing the Maastricht situation
further except insofar as I think there are lessons in it that
have not been absorbed yet.

I wonder why an attendee who arrived late was left begging at
the train station searching for a taxi. That is a problem that could
be solved by the meeting host making it clear how to call a hotel
shuttle, or other pre-arranged taxi service with an English speaking
driver.

Or by the kind of simple preparation that any traveler might make in the
face of (ubiquitous) uncertainty; for example, googling "Maastrict taxi"
brings up not just half a dozen taxi services but a handy directory of such,
with phone numbers.  Of course, using it would mean that the traveler would
need to ensure not only that their mobile phone functioned in Europe or that
they knew how to use a pay phone but also that they had somehow recorded the
relevant phone numbers.  Even easier, many hotels have cars that can be
pressed into service to pick up arriving guests but that would present the
same problems.  I do not wish to seem insensitive but it seems to me the
major lesson that hasn't been absorbed is that if you go to a foreign city
expecting it to be just like your comfy Texas suburb you are sure to be
disappointed & stressed...

...

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