Overview
Generally a country of tolerant, respectful, and polite people. There's a slight streak of frugality, but they're also surprisingly generous. On the train to King's Day celebrations, I asked someone if I could buy a beer, they handed me one and refused payment. When I insisted and gave them 5 euros for two beers, they naturally pocketed it. But the initial gesture of not asking for money was genuinely kind.
The houses are universally gorgeous. Even the most basic small town has a historical and charming character. Take any random Dutch village and transplant it to Turkey and it would cause a domestic tourism explosion.
Getting There
The roads are peculiar, speed limits are too low, on/off ramps are very sharp, and people take them at high speed. Cyclists have excessive right-of-way, which has made them virtually oblivious to traffic. Shared lanes are a serious headache for drivers.
Tips & Advice
The weather is genuinely unpredictable. During our week-long trip in late April, we had days where we sweated in t-shirts and days where we froze in boots, coats, sweaters, and scarves. When the sun is out, it gets incredibly hot, 25 degrees here feels nothing like 25 degrees in Turkey.
Most homes have only one toilet, usually separate from the bathroom. The sinks in the toilets are bizarrely tiny.
The fact that everyone has similar purchasing power is admirable. Even in the most rural areas, houses are beautiful. While our villages are poor and dilapidated, theirs are gorgeous by comparison.
Traffic lights have sensors, as someone approaches, they switch to green, especially in the evening. A brilliantly implemented piece of technology.
Toilets are paid even in shopping malls, with absurdly long queues.
Renovation in houses is allowed between 7 AM and 9 PM. People start drilling at 7:30. Unbelievable.
Practical problem-solving is weak. One driver had an accident at exactly the spot where a road goes from one lane to two, left the car right there, and caused a 2-hour backup. Five more meters and the traffic would have cleared. In Turkey, someone would have told them to move in 5 minutes, but here everyone just drove past silently.
While I really enjoyed Amsterdam as a tourist destination, certain aspects of their daily life left me somewhat disappointed.