Top 10 Reasons Ian Would Love the Netherlands

10. THE CLOTHES
The dress among those both young and old was eclectic to say the least. While Ian prefers t-shirts and basketball shorts, I hope he dresses outside of his comfort zone while in Europe this summer.
We saw this group using the ATM in Leiden.
This Tibetan monk (?) took the time to coordinate his outfit with the tulips. Keep in mind it was about 70 degrees. Man clothes for sale in a shop window in Scheveningen.

9. THE FOOD
The national dish is a raw herring sandwich although many people eat their herring whole, rolled in raw onions and pickles. I ate a a cooked herring sandwich (delicious) and Uncle Tom tried the raw herring sandwich (not so delicious.) I know Ian would have to give this a try.

8. SIGNS
The signs in Amsterdam were easy to understand and straight to the point. Pickpocket awareness deserved an English translation.
Dog poop in the gutter did not. And I brought my own Bob so no need to rent one.....but Ian might want to rent a Bob.
7. YOU DON'T PLAY THE CELLO
Bikes were the transportation of choice in Amsterdam. Didn't matter if you had your kids with you(sitting in the milk crate fixed to the handlebars), wearing a short skirt (yikes!) or a tuxedo while carrying your cello.

6. BIG EGGS
No joke. These eggs were huge and I hope they weren't gathered from the dirty old swans living in the dirty canals. But Ian likes his bacon and eggs.....and I don't think the bird matters much. We saw these eggs for sale at the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam.

5. YOUR NAME
If you position yourself perfectly, Ian's name is spelled out in 7 foot high letters in the IAMSTERDAM sign . What narcissist wouldn't love that!

4. GRAFFITI
I wanted to try this coffee shop after seeing the decorated wall (see # 3) and who doesn't like Stewie?

3. COFFEESHOPSOh wait, that's why I love Amsterdam!

2. COOL JOBS
This Rastafarian water taxi driver was just taking it easy and cruising the canals.We ate lunch outside one afternoon in Delft at the Cafe de Wynhaven. When our waiter wasn't taking orders (I ordered bitterballen without knowing what it was....delicious!) or delivering food, he was using a big squirt gun to chase away the seagulls and pigeons. Both perfect jobs for Ian.

1. BEER IN VENDING MACHINESImagine my surprise when I drifted down the hall to the vending machine in our hotel in Den Haag for munchies and saw this! Imagine getting a cold Heineken from a vending machine. In America, I am sure the machine would expect your ID and a sobriety test. Who wouldn't love this!