I believe that permanent travel memories can be useful for solar. Here's one of my favorites - and I love hearing your most memorable travel stories.
It's summer 2008 and I'm hanging out with my hosts, Hans and Marget, at the B&B Salon in the Haarlem suburb of Amsterdam. As I pulled out the Heineken, I noticed that the Dutch government was on a directive to teach prostitutes how to have safer sex. Flipping through it, I said to Hans: “It's both artistic and expressive.
"It's Victoria's Secret," he whispered playfully.
“Isn't that shocking to a lot of people? I ask.
“Only British and Americans,” he replied. Remember, this is Holland. We watched a documentary on local TV last night. We've talked about piercings down to the smallest detail - boobs, penises, everything. Last week was a special edition of the Kama Sutra. You never see sexual gymnastics. For us Dutch, there were two other documentaries. . . nothing else matters. Maybe they'll be a hit on American television."
"I don't know," I said, realizing that the guide seemed more interesting than Hans. But do you know which is the most visited page of my site? Stupid article comparing two sex museums in Amsterdam.
"Sex is not bait here. It's not banned in Holland," Marget says. that of the United States.
Staying in a guest house saves money. As a bonus, I have found that B&B hosts are often good at learning about traditional human nature and love to share their discoveries. They gave me a deeper understanding of the culture that I couldn't get through hotel accommodation.
This refers to Hans and Marget, who encourage guests to feel at home. And it's easy to feel at home in their living room, with armchairs, compact books, antiques and piano music.
Hans and Marget live in three bedrooms and rent out five. Hans wanted a little more space. He could frolic in his little yard like his neighbors, but he couldn't handle his juicy but pint-sized garden. He brought me more beer and asked, "How long are you going to live this time?"
"Not enough" is my usual response. I am Hans Janka's pet. He's on a personal crusade to entertain me, to slow me down. For Hans, I'm a typical American, focused on schedules and goals.
Hans helps guests to better understand cultural differences. "We Dutch are in the middle," he says. “We are as efficient as the Germans, which is why there are so many American companies in the Netherlands. But we want to live like the French.
"And joke like an Englishman," Margate added. "Everyone here appreciates the British sense of humor. We watch comedies on the BBC.
Hans also observes cultural differences in guests' breakfast etiquette. “Americans like solid advice and want to be guided by it. Europeans, especially Germans, know what they want. The French are melted for three days. The Americans, however, were quick to catch on. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. Although Europeans have no language differences, they put their own personal parade on the island breakfast.
He walked over, pointing to two kitchen tables. “If the Germans sit here and the Americans sit there, I will touch the snow. When I introduce the Americans to the Germans, I say, "Well, they left their guns in America." We Dutch are like the Germans, but jokingly.
Returning to our discussion of gender attitudes in different cultures, Marguerite says to Hans, “Tell Rick the story of 'Dutch boys on an English beach'. This body thing can be stressful for Americans, but it puts Britons under the pillow.
“As a schoolboy, I went to England with a friend,” Hans begins. “We changed pants on the beach without worrying about a towel - no problem. We are good Dutch. As usual, there was an audience on the beach: British pensioners on benches enjoying the fresh air, suffering from dry sandwiches. Everyone turned around as her friend started to change into a bathing suit. Enthused by our ability to shock English audiences, we repeated the gesture. I pulled my pants down and all heads turned again."
"We don't often see English people on our shores," Margate smiles as if hearing the story for the first time.
"Most Americans come to us," says Hans.
“We would like to fill our rooms with Americans,” Marguerite said. “Americans can communicate easily. They are open. They taught me to say what I think, they taught me to say what I think.
Hans Tourist impersonates Tony Tiger and pauses: “Wow, that's awesome! What a beautiful house you have here!
"Americans are in shock," Margate added.
"The English don't know how to panic," Hans said.
I think you almost caught them on that beach by accident,” Marget says. "When we went to Colorado, I learned to say 'wow' multiple times a day, and my trip just got better."
Cozy up in the corner of the sofa, her legs tucked under her tiny body, Margaret said, "An American, 'How are you?' When he asks, we mean “good.” The American replies, “That doesn't sound very good.” We explain, “We're Europeans.”
"So the American says, 'Oh, yeah, you're being honest.
"The market even has big 'smile and win' signs on supermarket bags," says Margate, marveling at the sincerity of the smiling faces of Americans.
"It's true," I agreed. "Only in America can you find a bank that punishes every customer for not saying 'good afternoon'."
Hans says: “Did you know that the Dutch are the most wanted workers at Disneyland Paris? The reason is that many Dutch people skipped the opening. We can laugh all day. We also speak our language.
Margate explains: “In Holland, someone says, 'Do you speak your language?' If he asks, they mean: Do you speak French, German and English with the Dutch?
Hans continued. “And for us, this act of friendship is perhaps less tiring than for the French. Can you imagine a Frenchman smiling all day?
Hans corked my glass of Heineken. “God created the whole world. It was wonderful. But France. . . It was so perfect. So he speaks French to balance the situation.
“And Canada can have it all: British culture, French cuisine, the American way of knowing,” says Margaret.
But they crack and discover English cuisine, French knowledge and American culture.
As I ascend the Dutch spiral staircase to my bedroom, I think of the benefits of making friends along the way. The most memorable moments of the day came after the visit.