Toli's wise words on Amsterdam...
* Are there any Dutch people in Amsterdam? I heard Dutch on the streets as often as English, and nearly as often as Italian and Greek. Maybe it's just the tourist season.
* How can Europeans enjoy the fabulous local and ethnic food around them in restaurants filled with cigarette smoke? Looks a bit hypocritical to me to criticize Americans for dumping their waste outside the US when a European considers it their right to dump their toxic second-hand smoke on their fellow man. Oh well, it's their country, their rules... as long as I can live far away from all that, heck, what do I care? It's their lungs.
* Cat colors vary a lot between Europe and the US. Sure, some breeds are universal, but I was surprised to see so many cats whose fur looked unlike any other I'd seen.
* Northern Europeans are fairly aggressive drivers. (Nothing like the Greeks, of course.) To illustrate the point, our friend Peter pointed out how friendly he found American drivers... in Los Angeles! Still, rules are obeyed (well, not by cab drivers, but that's a universal exception) so driving is easy.
* While gas is pretty expensive in Europe, they have this government-subsidized fuel called biodiesel that comes from plants. It costs about as much as premium gas in California, so it's a pretty good way to go (if you rent a car that runs on it - most recent Diesel engines do).
* Northern Europe is too damn cold. Still, we've been very lucky on our trip so far: no problems with ice on the road, and fairly warm weather (by local standards). Our cold-weather Austin clothes have sufficed so far!
* What's up with that "breakfast included" pricing model for every hotel stay? You usually get a stale bread roll, kraft cheese, and sausage that still has rat fur on it, and that justifies a decent price hike. I'd rather not pay for that "breakfast" and go outdoors and try a local diner. Ah well, Europe.
* Prices are very expensive here. Not just for us (the dollars is pretty weak relative to the Euro these days): for everybody! Things in general cost more than in the US and salaries are definitely not higher. Eating out is easily a $30 affair, rent is $1400/month (in Amsterdam, but German cities were also over $1000)...
That's it for now. It's a wonderful vacation, and an excellent learning experience.
Posted by Toli at December 29, 2003 02:54 PM