Netherlands Love-it/Hate-it List

Shopping
Hate it – Shops close at 5:00 and are closed on Sundays. There is nothing like Wal-Mart and even the grocery stores are small with little choice.
Love it - We’re saving a ton of money because it’s so difficult to shop. We spend more time on leisure activities like biking and kayaking.

Food
Hate it – My company cafeteria sets a whole new level for terrible food. I bring my lunch every day. Restaurants are over-priced with slow service and plain food.
Love it – I have more time to cook dinner because I’m not spending much time commuting. The Dutch do make good cheese and really good apple tarts. The chocolate beats anything you can get in the US. The Indonesian food is fantastic.

Traveling
Hate it – There is so much to see in Europe that it’s hard to prioritize. It also takes time to plan the trips.
Love it –Airline travel is easier here than in the US. Flights tend to be on-time, passengers are treated like people, and baggage claim is pretty fast. Train travel is super-easy and convenient (but costs more than you think it should). Things are much closer here than in the US.

Neighborhood
Hate-it – Of course we miss our neighbors and friends from home!
Love-it – I ride my bike to work in 15 minutes. I walk to the grocery store and the city center in 10 minutes. The train station is close. And yet, we can bike and walk through woods and the heather or by the lake without having to get in the car.

Lifestyle
Hate-it – Our area is pretty traditional. Women stay home with their kids or work part time. Work is work and that’s it. Dennis and I are oddities because we have no kids and we’re much more career oriented than our Dutch coworkers.
Love-it – 5 weeks of vacation…Need I say more?