With most of our engineering team working staggered 2-week shifts in the UK, planning a social event has become challenging. Still, on October 21st, we finally managed to get everybody together for a trip through memory lane in Delft.

Having lunch in a historic building where a word has it, people accused of witchcraft were weighed as part of their trial was certainly a new experience. Looking out over lunch onto Elwin’s old student apartment and the church with the last resting place of past Dutch royalty gave rise to speculations as to whether it was a mere coincidence that the two were separated by no more than 50 meters.

With our bellies full, we went to the 17th century for an escape room. Much to Julio’s relief, we managed to convince the ghost of Willem of Orange that the war with the Spanish had ended and escaped the Bagijnetoren with 9 minutes to spare and had our picture taken to capture the moment.

Back in the 21st century, we paused for drinks and bites before making it over to a game hall to play a couple of rounds of “petanque”, a game most Dutch nationals have played at some time in their lives: be it on a beach, in the garden or on a camping site. Nothing works up an appetite, as well as some exercise and a good laugh, so we closed off the evening with a mix of barbeque dishes and Asian street foods.

The way we work together and occasionally relax together has attracted interest from South Africa. Armand Fourie applied on our website and set a precedent by bringing South African beer, biltong and treats to his interview. Cunningly playing to our corrupt nature, he left us no choice but to contact him. Armand is finishing his MSc thesis in chemical engineering at Stellenbosch university and will start working on Prove Engineering projects in January 2023.