A public urinal? Outside? I take it the words "indecent exposure" don't mean the same thing in Dutch as they do in English?! That is hysterical! I am going to have to ask my mom if she ever saw one when they visited there a few years ago. The apartments are neat, but I have to agree that the noise factor would be a little off-putting for me.

My family is Dutch, many of them immigrants from Holland. My whole community in Ripon is mostly Dutch--we even have an aisle in the main grocery store that is stocked with Dutch foods. So I really enjoy your little insights into the Dutch way of life--VERY different from the conservative people I am familiar with! A public urinal in Ripon?! I think not! LOL!

have fun in Paris and happy anniversary!!

Hmmm. *shakes head* Once again, men have it easy. Can you imagine a woman's version of that baby? Oh, well, actually...this comic named Adam Corolla was ranting about how the men's rooms at large venues were just disgusting, like a trough running through and you just step up and do your business out there in front of God and everyone. So, he came up with the idea of a big round trough with toilet seats over it for women. He called it "the Corolla daisy." But, somehow, I don't think they're going to show up on street corners any time soon.

I just love hearing, now seeing, your take on life in Amsterdam.

How timely! I was just taking the personaldna.com test, and one of the questions was, "I would never travel to a country that didn't have indoor plumbing." True or False. And that was a big fat TRUE! Of course, I'm not a guy, so peeing in the open air had never appealed to me. /;+)

Sheri - I think that rather than indecent exposure, it's just a very public conveniece over here, LOL! And I have to ask you, with your Dutch connection...what is your opinion on the stroop waffel?

Alesia - aw, thank you, hon!

ZaZa - be reassured, the indoor plumbing is just great over here, and the showers are whooshy, and the water is clean and plentiful (although the toilets all have an icky "shelf" - apparently to do with inspecting for, um, worms - ickety ick!). And the pissoir is actually an improvement on men just doing their biz standing against the nearest available wall...

Next week from me, The New And Improved Pissoir! (Could it get any better?) Plus photos of "alternative" Paris, from whence Oh Patient One and I have just returned!

Michelle, who wants to be Parisienne when she grows up :-)

I don't think I have ever had a stroop waffle. I know my aunt makes some kind of waffle once in awhile, but I am not sure what it is called. It is time-consuming from what I have heard. What about Oli ballen (NO idea how to spell it!)? Little round donut-like things with raisins that you roll in sugar. Do you ever eat rusk? Haven't had it for years but saw it the other day at the store and almost bought some for old-times sake!! My grandma use to make this dessert-stuff from alcohol and apricots or raisins. The name in Dutch means something like "farm boys" and "farm maids" or "young men"--'boers' something. Ack--it's been YEARS since I had it. You soak the fruit in the alcohol for about a month and then serve it over cake or ice cream. 'Boers yungins'--I used to love the apricot one! (Can you tell I've never learned to speak the language!) *grin*