The Orphanage The Hague

As some one mentioned Den Hagg, Munich etc ... were the Australia of the early 90's.

The Eurolines Bus all the way to Holland for 30 pound one way.

Spent a season camping on Monster beach camp site about 10kms from Den Hagg. Working the green houses or for one horrendous fortnight the concrete. Summer of 95 now that I remember it. Hottest summer in a long time for a lot of Europe. 6am to 2pm in the greenhouse. 2pm to 6pm on the beach smoking dope and drinking grolsh looking at young ones sunbathing topless which was a big deal for a 19 year old west of Ireland lad.

Friday evening into Den Hagg with the pay packet, off the face on yokes listening to heavy industrial techno at clubs and squat parties and all struggle home at some point one by one on Sunday.

Nostalgic for sure and something I'm smiling about now but in hindsight of the eight of us that went over two ended up with serious issues with heroin. Just didn't know where to draw the line. Thankfully both on the straight and narrow now.

If my lads come into me in a few years and say their off to Holland for the summer I think I'd chain them to the bed posts before Id let them go

No Den Haag but spent a summer (99?) in Noordwijlk working the bulb factories living on a campsite. Bedlam barely describes it.

Can't remember the agency but I remember they held 50% of your pay until you finished. I believe they made a fair rake of cash off the sort of binlids who got deported (there were a few) or simply cracked and headed home in a rush.

Campsite flooded a fair few times based on the wet Dutch summer, proximity to canals etc. Nothing like coming home wasted after a shift packing bulbs, only to see your tent and belongings floating about in a field.

And no, it's fair to say that some of the Irish (mostly from Belfast, Derry and border areas) did not have a great name over there. We were kind of the exception in that we had either just finished universirty of were finished and off to do a post graduate. There were some serious scrotes; fights, shoplifting and other anti-social nonsense. Saw a few lads from Derry hospitalised with burns after trying to light a gas stove inside a small two man tent. Saw someone rip half their face off after trying to ride a bike on acid. There was a local gang of dealers who kicked several shades of shyte out of a few of the irish, there were some squaddies who appeared at the local bar (Scotch Bar) the odd time. Usually off their tits protesting that they weren't bad people. Teenagers, early 20's on yokes mostly.

Really, carnage. Still, it was worth it as on Sat am after payday it was straight into Amsterdam to return back to camp in absolute bits on Sunday morning. 24 hours of madness every weekend.

Nearly killed me. Would not repeat, some fond (not sure how!) memories though.

As I understand it now, most of those jobs are taken up by lower wage workers from eastern and central europe. I know a few lads who went back for the winter season, but the snuck off in the middle of the night after their first week as it was basically a prison camp!

I was visiting my brother in Schevenigen and having had one too many in the Kickaboo before catching the flight home (which we missed ) we ended up in the Ophanage , crazy experience, this was early 90s one of the lads was going out with the bar maid from the kickaboo I think they called her mad Mary , she was tiny , my brother worked for Icds and his name was Gerry Brogan I think they called him the black dub , he sadly passed away last year

Obvious recent situation we all find ourselves in making me think back to more fun times.... and meat packing factory stories reminded me of some of the (many, many) crappier jobs have done before.... and when I was the 'immigrant worker' 😬

This came up in a search..... brought back some old memories! Spent a summer in Netherlands in late 90's, with FTS. Had no money, couldn't afford J1/flights to US ..... Netherlands it was.....loved it! Haha..... was never in the Orphanage (wasn't based in Den Haag, more Nord Holland..... 1st Job too far f*cking North!).... but a lot of general sentiment about that time, in that country, with that company, very familiar ðŸ˜

Doesn't seem to be something that happens so much anymore since the 90's...... The Irish heading to Netherlands (or rest of Europe) for these types of jobs & experiences. Of course I realise the 'celtic tiger' main reason for that 😬 But any older folk like me have any fond memories of those times when we did ? Whether it be in the slight 'madness' that was Netherlands for vegetable (or worse, bulb picking) season or anywhere else 😅

I really cant find where it was I have checked google maps but haven’t seen it. I do remember there were black metal railings outside it and it was back off the footpath a bit as there was a driveway as you walked up to building