Observations

1. The Dutch are modest. If asked "Sprekt u engels?", the Dutch person almost always invariably replies "Just a little", after which they proceed to answer my query or provide information in the utmost impeccable English.

2. The amount of sunshine is positively correlated to the frequency of whistling, especially by old men riding bikes.

3. I am riding more and more recklessly everyday. But don't worry Melly, the roads here have nothing on the streets of South East Asia; at least here there are dedicated red bike paths, less traffic, traffic lights for pedestrians, cars and bikes, and no Sydney hoons.

4. Food is often thrown away, onto the streets and into the canals, especially baguettes and baguette fillings.

5. While in English we swear by anatomy and the Germans swear by animals, the Dutch swear by diseases. For example, to call someone a 'cancerwhore' is the ultimate worst thing to say to someone.

6. 'Yo mama' jokes are universal, even in Germany:

• Yo mama is so poor, she waits in front of Aldi before opening time to sing 'The Final Countdown'.
• Yo mama is so butch, she pulls trains on DFC. Huh?

7. American pop culture is not as widespread as one may think, with many Europeans listening to their own bands, watching their own movies and reading their own books, with the exception of Black Eyed Peas.

8. Prices rise the further west and north one travels in Europe, with the exception of Italy.

9. "Legen ...and I hope you're not lactose-intolerant because the next word is ...dairy!" does not quite have the same effect in German.

10. Like in Hitchcock's Rear Window, Dutch residents do not close their curtains, creating a voyeuristic collection of individual window frames stacked side by side and on top of another, portraying the private inner lives of their resident households. I have been told that this dates back to more pious times when closing one's curtains meant that there was something untoward to hide.

11. The Dutch like to say that this or that is 'typically Dutch'.