Planting my feet

It's nice to be back on Dutch soil (or more correctly, sand). I guess it's the whole 'land-reclaiming' thing, but when they lift up the pavements here it reveals sand rather than mud. I know this because at any given time half of Amsterdam seems to be in the process of being dug up, sometimes by a workman wearing clogs (very sensible when you think about it - I bet no one ever broke a toe by dropping a paving stone in Amsterdam). The first time I saw a clog-wearing workman I was very excited. It was the same childish glee I felt when boarding my first double-decker train or when I discovered that they call peanut butter 'peanut cheese' here. It's been fun finding out the little differences, however daft, that make you look at things in a new light. I hope that familiarity doesn't take the fun out of it.