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When I found out two weeks ago that Neil —and Tim too— were coming to Utrecht and that this would be my chance to finally see him, I was quite surprised at how quickly I took charge of the situation. First, I looked for a flight, but quickly realized that Utrecht doesn't have an airport and that it would be impossible for me to get to Utrecht from Amsterdam by train or bus. That was the first moment when I thought, hm, this isn't going to work. And then my mother asked how far away it actually was. So I looked it up and found out that it's almost 400 kilometers and takes about four hours to drive there. She then suggested that she would drive me there. I was so surprised that at first I didn't know how to react, but she was completely serious. The next step was to ask Jutta if she was free that weekend. We talked on the phone and she told me she couldn't make it because she was taking a carpentry course on Saturday. That was the second moment when I thought, well, this isn't going to work either. Right?
And then I had the idea to ask if she could perhaps look after Ivi on Sunday so I could go to the Convention, and yes, she could. She even suggested that she would come to my place on Saturday afternoon after her carpentry class and then look after Ivi for half the day, all of Sunday, and Monday morning!
And that was my cue to put my plan into action. So, I bought tickets for the convention (for my mom and me, because I didn't want to use her as a taxi driver and I know how much fun she had at Magic Con), the ticket for Neil's photo booth, and accommodation at the Ibis Hotel, less than a kilometer from Jaarbeus, where the convention was held. And then I counted down the minutes, and when the last week began, I really had to fight hard against my nervousness.
Even in therapy, the trip to Utrecht was a topic of discussion, and Franziska managed to calm me down somewhat.
On the evening when I made all the decisions and placed the first bookings, I was chatting with Sarah. She was incredibly happy that I finally had the chance to meet Neil, but at the same time a little sad because her trip to the convention in Brussel had been rather stressful.
We were both sure that we would find a convention somewhere next year that we could both go to. I then suggested that she come with me and that we meet in Utrecht on Sunday and all go to the convention together. Sarah was unsure because she was afraid of having such a stressful time again, even though she told me that she didn't really think that would happen if we were traveling together. I understood her concerns, and we immediately set our rules, such as that it's okay to split up if she needs some quiet time or just wants to go shopping. That we always have the option to pause and say, “Wait a minute, I need some time to myself right now” or “I'm feeling stressed.” In those moments, we would do what was good for us and meet up at the meeting point. We really planned everything. From our time together, our meeting place, the time, the fact that we would meet at the hotel in the morning so she could store her backpack in my room, etc.
Sarah had booked a bus ticket from Strasbourg to Utrecht for a ten-hour journey from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.
Since Mom and I didn't want to stress ourselves out, I had booked a hotel room for Saturday to Monday. Our plan was to leave around 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, as we wanted to check in around 3 p.m.
We didn't want to stress ourselves out and wanted to take the 400-kilometer journey in a relaxed manner. I was quite calm and relaxed after therapy on Thursday, but then I noticed that I was getting slight stomach pains from excitement.
On Thursday evening, I received a message from the Ibis Hotel...
„Dear guest,
We are excited that you booked a stay with us at ibis Utrecht!
With this email, we would like to inform you about some specifics regarding our hotel during your stay. Due to unforeseen additional work following our renovations, you may experience some noise disturbance on weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM, and we currently have fewer parking spaces available. Additionally, our elevator is temporarily out of order. All hotel rooms remain easily accessible via the stairs... „
One day and a few hours before we drive to Utrecht to check in. Hey, I have no problem with renovations, and the noise didn't bother me either, since we were there on the weekend, but... the elevator isn't working? And the rooms are “easy” to reach in a hotel that has four or five floors? Honestly, I was pissed.
The hotel has apparently been renovating for quite some time, and I assume they could have informed me when I made the booking... but they didn't.
I was too stressed to look for another hotel so close to my trip to Utrecht. IN ADDITION, as I said, I wouldn't have gotten a refund if I had canceled the stay. If you pay via PayPal, that's not possible... I mean, it's paid for, so why isn't that option offered?
Well, I sat there and thought to myself, OK, this isn't my problem, guys. I'm a guest, you have to take care of it. So I wrote an email and asked for a disabled-accessible room (as described on the website) that was either on the ground floor OR on the first floor at most. I have limited mobility, I have obvious muscle and nerve weakness, and I definitely don't have the strength to carry my 10 kg walker up or down stairs. And I certainly won't ask my 73-year-old mother to do so.
Incidentally, I then received a reply saying that the accessible room (with an accessible bathroom!) was “out of order”...
However, I was then offered another “accessible” room, whose door is not wheelchair accessible. But I could get in with my walker. When I got there, the shower had no seat and the toilet had no handle that I could hold on to or pull myself up with.
Sigh...
I had been assured in the email that they would help me with my luggage and walker and bring them to my booked room. I told my mother about this, and she wasn't really happy about it because she knew that it would be very difficult for both of us to use the stairs and, as I said, carry our things upstairs. But I was very aware that I was asserting my rights as a guest. I wouldn't have done that years ago. I would have nodded and struggled my way up with the walker and the luggage. But I am disabled and I need help, and I now demand it.
We spent Friday evening packing my suitcase and her bag. I think we took mostly food and drinks with us, since we wanted to stay in the room anyway. I was nervous, but at the same time excited, even though it felt so unreal that there was a real chance I could meet Neil.
I had been nervous all week about whether he would actually show up in Utrecht, since he had to cancel the convention in Liverpool last week. He streamed in the evening last week and said at the end that he would be going to Holland over the weekend. \o/
One less thing to worry about.
I went to bed around midnight and was surprised that I fell asleep relatively quickly...
( Little Helper! )
Much Love,
Anke~
And then I had the idea to ask if she could perhaps look after Ivi on Sunday so I could go to the Convention, and yes, she could. She even suggested that she would come to my place on Saturday afternoon after her carpentry class and then look after Ivi for half the day, all of Sunday, and Monday morning!
And that was my cue to put my plan into action. So, I bought tickets for the convention (for my mom and me, because I didn't want to use her as a taxi driver and I know how much fun she had at Magic Con), the ticket for Neil's photo booth, and accommodation at the Ibis Hotel, less than a kilometer from Jaarbeus, where the convention was held. And then I counted down the minutes, and when the last week began, I really had to fight hard against my nervousness.
Even in therapy, the trip to Utrecht was a topic of discussion, and Franziska managed to calm me down somewhat.
On the evening when I made all the decisions and placed the first bookings, I was chatting with Sarah. She was incredibly happy that I finally had the chance to meet Neil, but at the same time a little sad because her trip to the convention in Brussel had been rather stressful.
We were both sure that we would find a convention somewhere next year that we could both go to. I then suggested that she come with me and that we meet in Utrecht on Sunday and all go to the convention together. Sarah was unsure because she was afraid of having such a stressful time again, even though she told me that she didn't really think that would happen if we were traveling together. I understood her concerns, and we immediately set our rules, such as that it's okay to split up if she needs some quiet time or just wants to go shopping. That we always have the option to pause and say, “Wait a minute, I need some time to myself right now” or “I'm feeling stressed.” In those moments, we would do what was good for us and meet up at the meeting point. We really planned everything. From our time together, our meeting place, the time, the fact that we would meet at the hotel in the morning so she could store her backpack in my room, etc.
Sarah had booked a bus ticket from Strasbourg to Utrecht for a ten-hour journey from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.
Since Mom and I didn't want to stress ourselves out, I had booked a hotel room for Saturday to Monday. Our plan was to leave around 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, as we wanted to check in around 3 p.m.
We didn't want to stress ourselves out and wanted to take the 400-kilometer journey in a relaxed manner. I was quite calm and relaxed after therapy on Thursday, but then I noticed that I was getting slight stomach pains from excitement.
On Thursday evening, I received a message from the Ibis Hotel...
„Dear guest,
We are excited that you booked a stay with us at ibis Utrecht!
With this email, we would like to inform you about some specifics regarding our hotel during your stay. Due to unforeseen additional work following our renovations, you may experience some noise disturbance on weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM, and we currently have fewer parking spaces available. Additionally, our elevator is temporarily out of order. All hotel rooms remain easily accessible via the stairs... „
One day and a few hours before we drive to Utrecht to check in. Hey, I have no problem with renovations, and the noise didn't bother me either, since we were there on the weekend, but... the elevator isn't working? And the rooms are “easy” to reach in a hotel that has four or five floors? Honestly, I was pissed.
The hotel has apparently been renovating for quite some time, and I assume they could have informed me when I made the booking... but they didn't.
I was too stressed to look for another hotel so close to my trip to Utrecht. IN ADDITION, as I said, I wouldn't have gotten a refund if I had canceled the stay. If you pay via PayPal, that's not possible... I mean, it's paid for, so why isn't that option offered?
Well, I sat there and thought to myself, OK, this isn't my problem, guys. I'm a guest, you have to take care of it. So I wrote an email and asked for a disabled-accessible room (as described on the website) that was either on the ground floor OR on the first floor at most. I have limited mobility, I have obvious muscle and nerve weakness, and I definitely don't have the strength to carry my 10 kg walker up or down stairs. And I certainly won't ask my 73-year-old mother to do so.
Incidentally, I then received a reply saying that the accessible room (with an accessible bathroom!) was “out of order”...
However, I was then offered another “accessible” room, whose door is not wheelchair accessible. But I could get in with my walker. When I got there, the shower had no seat and the toilet had no handle that I could hold on to or pull myself up with.
Sigh...
I had been assured in the email that they would help me with my luggage and walker and bring them to my booked room. I told my mother about this, and she wasn't really happy about it because she knew that it would be very difficult for both of us to use the stairs and, as I said, carry our things upstairs. But I was very aware that I was asserting my rights as a guest. I wouldn't have done that years ago. I would have nodded and struggled my way up with the walker and the luggage. But I am disabled and I need help, and I now demand it.
We spent Friday evening packing my suitcase and her bag. I think we took mostly food and drinks with us, since we wanted to stay in the room anyway. I was nervous, but at the same time excited, even though it felt so unreal that there was a real chance I could meet Neil.
I had been nervous all week about whether he would actually show up in Utrecht, since he had to cancel the convention in Liverpool last week. He streamed in the evening last week and said at the end that he would be going to Holland over the weekend. \o/
One less thing to worry about.
I went to bed around midnight and was surprised that I fell asleep relatively quickly...
Much Love,
Anke~
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