Our first contact
In May 1966 I read in a newspaper that August 22-27 the European Swimming Championships would take place in Utrecht. The local government was happy with this event but mentioned that there were not enough cheap hotel facilities in Utrecht for the supporters. Because the house of the student union Veritas was not used in August and the union needed extra money to cover the yearly debts I suggested to the board of the union, of which I was a member, the possibility to organize a student hotel in that month. The problem was of course that the union had no beds and other necessities for a hotel. So I went to the local government and told them that Veritas could help them by organizing a cheap student hotel in that month if they had a suggestion where we could get the beds for such a short period. They immediately came back with the suggestion that the army could help us out with all the necessary facilities if we organize the hotel and so I did. First of all I announced that we would organize a student hotel in August. A short time later I got the first reaction via the Travel Agency of a woman, Irmtraud Gallhofer, from Vienna who asked if she could stay during the month of August in the hotel. I answered of course that she was most welcome. As at other occasions, I organized a team to run the hotel.
The first guest
At August 1 around 4 o´clock the first guest arrived. It was the woman from Austria. It turned out to be a young well dressed and friendly looking student. She was received with a lot of attention. She was shown the sleeping room for women with 20 bunk beds. She told at the reception that she had put two heavy suitcases with books for her study in a locker in the station and asked for help to `pick them up. Irmtraud tells that I helped her to pick up her suitcases but I don´t remember this. That does not mean that I was not interested in talking with her but I remember later events. I remember that we talked already the first evening with each other in the bar.
At August 1 around 4 o´clock the first guest arrived. It was the woman from Austria. It turned out to be a young well dressed and friendly looking student. She was received with a lot of attention. She was shown the sleeping room for women with 20 bunk beds. She told at the reception that she had put two heavy suitcases with books for her study in a locker in the station and asked for help to `pick them up. Irmtraud tells that I helped her to pick up her suitcases but I don´t remember this. That does not mean that I was not interested in talking with her but I remember later events. I remember that we talked already the first evening with each other in the bar.
She told me that she was here for her dissertation. “I need a place where I can safely put my books and can study” she told me. “That is no problem.” I told her, “You can put everything in the room of the board of the union and there is a big table which you can use as a desk. There you can study undisturbed.”
This issue was herewith solved for the moment. But some days later she came back to me and asked: “Isn´t there another hotel where I can have a room on my own because this situation reminds me too much at the situation of my boarding school. I would like a place for my own.” This was of course a big blow for the director of the student hotel: “my first guest, a nice student from Vienna, wanted to leave my hotel!” I decided to help her because I knew a girl in a student house for girls who probably could help. So I asked her and she told me that there was a room free in her house which Irmtraud could use during her stay in Utrecht. Maybe I also thought that because with my help Irmtraud and I would stay in contact during this month because I started to like her.
The bar and its guests
For the moment I could concentrate again on other issues in the hotel. The hotel was not so very busy but the bar in the night became a meeting place for many people with different backgrounds, not only students. In fact I detected that there were two groups of people, older and different than the other guests. I had never seen them before. Occasionally there were small fights between the two groups but one night I saw the leader of one of the groups getting up from his chair and that seemed to be a sign to the people of the other group to very quickly move out of the bar. Later I understood from talking with this leader that we were now under protection of his group of the underworld. He told me that he was a pimp and had several girls working for him. He was very proud of this and presented himself as a boss. However one day an old female cleaner came in the bar early in the morning and said to him: “You thief don´t you see that these people want to go to bed?”, “Get out of here you thief”. This was too much for the “boss” he left with his tail between his legs. She told later: “I know him because we lived in the same street, but he always was a thief.”
The bar became by the day more crowded and the people remained drinking till late in the morning. During the week of the championships a large part of the bar was occupied by supporters of their Scottish swimming star, Mc Gregor. They themselves were also stars but only in drinking. They ordered immediately a new tray full of glasses of beer when we served them one.
Something was growing
Irmtraud also came to the bar early in the evenings but did not stay till late because she had to take the bus again to her student house. We had a lot of occasions to talk with each other. One special day was her birthday, August 16. We went to her student room and spoke a lot about her research. I did not know much about the time of the peace treaty in 1529, which she was studying. We also talked about the difference between research in history and sociology. It was interesting and I enjoyed it. This was the first time that I met a girl that was really interested in research. I had recently detected that I was also interested in research.
Some days later Irmtraud was going back to Vienna. I brought her to the train. When the train was on the point to leave I jumped in and went with her to Arnhem (without a ticket). We spoke about the future, we clearly liked each other but she had still a friend in Vienna. We decided that I would come to Vienna later in September. I was hoping that she would choose me because I liked her a lot. So I kissed her Farwell in Arnhem and hoped to see her again later in September.
This was a very successful month for Veritas, because the hotel reduced the debt of the union considerably and also for me because I was very happy to have met a nice girl that also shared with me interest in scientific research. The future was, however, all but certain.
For the moment I could concentrate again on other issues in the hotel. The hotel was not so very busy but the bar in the night became a meeting place for many people with different backgrounds, not only students. In fact I detected that there were two groups of people, older and different than the other guests. I had never seen them before. Occasionally there were small fights between the two groups but one night I saw the leader of one of the groups getting up from his chair and that seemed to be a sign to the people of the other group to very quickly move out of the bar. Later I understood from talking with this leader that we were now under protection of his group of the underworld. He told me that he was a pimp and had several girls working for him. He was very proud of this and presented himself as a boss. However one day an old female cleaner came in the bar early in the morning and said to him: “You thief don´t you see that these people want to go to bed?”, “Get out of here you thief”. This was too much for the “boss” he left with his tail between his legs. She told later: “I know him because we lived in the same street, but he always was a thief.”
The bar became by the day more crowded and the people remained drinking till late in the morning. During the week of the championships a large part of the bar was occupied by supporters of their Scottish swimming star, Mc Gregor. They themselves were also stars but only in drinking. They ordered immediately a new tray full of glasses of beer when we served them one.
Something was growing
Irmtraud also came to the bar early in the evenings but did not stay till late because she had to take the bus again to her student house. We had a lot of occasions to talk with each other. One special day was her birthday, August 16. We went to her student room and spoke a lot about her research. I did not know much about the time of the peace treaty in 1529, which she was studying. We also talked about the difference between research in history and sociology. It was interesting and I enjoyed it. This was the first time that I met a girl that was really interested in research. I had recently detected that I was also interested in research.
Some days later Irmtraud was going back to Vienna. I brought her to the train. When the train was on the point to leave I jumped in and went with her to Arnhem (without a ticket). We spoke about the future, we clearly liked each other but she had still a friend in Vienna. We decided that I would come to Vienna later in September. I was hoping that she would choose me because I liked her a lot. So I kissed her Farwell in Arnhem and hoped to see her again later in September.
This was a very successful month for Veritas, because the hotel reduced the debt of the union considerably and also for me because I was very happy to have met a nice girl that also shared with me interest in scientific research. The future was, however, all but certain.