Amsterdam

After we left Germany we headed for Apeldoorn where we were to meet Jan Peter Niezink who is going to represent our business in the Netherlands. We headed north and ended up staying at a small village named Eerbeek and booked a room in the Fletcher Hotel. It was really hard to find as my “free” phone app GPS doesn’t seem to like postal codes or street address. Finally we found it and had to pay €114 for a night in a clean but very dated room. We usually stay in fairly cheap places, but in this case we didn’t book before hand, so then you have to pay more premium prices. Fortunately, this hotel a very tasty breakfast.

The next day we stopped at a swanky resort to meet Lars-Erick who does our Dutch label translation and helps us to get them approved by the Dutch authorities. It is always interesting because of all the regulations we have to go through. For example in the European Union, we are not allowed to call our product “Natural Calm” as “Natural Calm” is considered to be a claim. So we named it TrüMag. We also have to obtain specific label approval in each country and so far have obtained approvals in the UK, Ireland and France. When we went to obtain approval in the Netherlands, they would not allow us to use the name “TrüMag” as we were implying that it means “the best” and we were not allowed to make that claim. Lars found a research paper by the University of Reading UK that proved that Magnesium Citrate, of which our active ingredient is, is the best. So with that information, the Dutch authorities allowed us to call it "TrüMag" as long as we had "magnesium citrate" on the front of the label. The meeting with Lars was very good and he is also interested in getting the product moving in the Netherlands.

Next we went to Jan Peter’s house and stayed there the night. We met his ‘bride to be’ and they are getting married today (28-Sept-2012). She is a heel mooi meisje (very nice girl) and we think Jan Peter is a very blessed man. They were both so kind and hospitable, which the Dutch people are known for. It was great to finally meet them personally, as I have been in touch with J.P. via internet a number of years ago.

The next day we went to Amsterdam and visited several stores, all with great reception, except one. One store was dirty and we were sure we smelled weed. Weed is legal in the Netherlands for Dutch citizens. Let’s just say he was a very interesting character. All the rest of the shops were very receptive. They all did seem rather “happy.” We are excited about being here because most of the people that we are in contact with say that magnesium is very “hot” on the market right now.

In Europe, places are not as easy to find as it is back home. Back home we have relatively straight roads with signs and street numbers. In Europe, the streets were planned hundreds of years ago and so they tend to be narrower and not well thought out as to where they are placed. While looking for one store, we walked into what is known as the “Red Light District.” (A section of town where prostitution is legal. There are actually several “Red Light Districts.”) Jan Peter all of a sudden recognized it, and when he said something, I looked up and out of a window, there was a nice looking call girl who was smiling seductively at me. Janet also caught her smile. As we turned around, Janet possessively put her arm in mine and we walked as one, for the next while.

After we finished visiting the stores that we had planned to, J.P. wanted to take us to Volendam, a fishing village north of Amsterdam. We got there just a storm was brewing, so the waves were pretty wild and it was windy and rainy. But we still found a deli open where we ate “rauwe gezouten haring met rauwe uien” (raw salted herring with raw onions) and parling (smoked eel.) While the smoked eel is tastier (and more expensive), both are a great treat. The way to eat the herring is to grab it by the tail, open your mouth wide, tilt your head back, and drop it down the hatch. Sushi at its finest.

The next day we had to leave Holland and fly to the UK. More about that in another post.