As much as I've traveled, I'm finding that I am feeling more lost here than anywhere because of language difficulties. I was set loose today to find the town of Breda, which is a few stops over on the train from Tilburg. The train system should be pretty easy to decipher, except that 1) it's all in Dutch and 2) written Dutch looks very different from spoken Dutch. So it's really of no help to me when the train conductor announces each station as we pull in because he makes everything sound like he's clearing his throat.
Some of my other initial observations about the Netherlands.
1. Everyone has a bicycle. And everyone uses the bicycle as their primary mode of transportation. There are even designated bike lanes on all roads, and sometimes they are even separated from the road. This does not mean they share the sidewalk. Pedestrians walk on the sidewalk. Cars and pedestrians always watch out for the bicyclists. There are even divets on the side of stairways so that you can wheel your bike down beside you instead of carrying it. The Dutch get a lot of exercise and are generally not overweight.
2. Everyone seems to smoke. Okay, maybe not everyone, but all of the eating and drinking establishments which we have visited have had smokers all over the place inside. I'm not used to leaving a restaurant smelling like an ashtray.
3. There are some very tall people here.
4. Life comes to a halt when Speed Skating is being shown on televison.
That's all I have to report today. We will be doing a fair amount of touristy stuff over the next few days, including visiting a flower festival and going to Belgium, so I am sure I will have much more execiting things to report by Monday. Unless I'm too hung-over from Carnival to blog. But you'll hear from me again at some point.
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