Is it possible that the "fellow pilot" was getting confused with no night VFR?
I fly over the Netherlands regularly, approximately COA to RKN, IFR of late but many times VFR in previous years. The bulk of the airspace in the southern NL is class E above 1500 ft, which means no clearance required for VFR but higher VMC minima than you may be used to.
Dutch Mil Info/Radar are brilliant, as HairyPlane suggests.
Where are you going in Germany?