Thursday 1 July 2010

simple things mean a lot.

One thing that strikes me most about Holland, at least this part of it in the south. Is the near constant friendliness of the people, and also their honest trusting nature.

I mentioned before about beign caught without cash in the pub and finding they didn't take my pin card, they just point you to the nearest cash machine

Today also, in Tilburg, I saw more evidence of this basic capacity for honesty and trust. The buses in Holland have been switching over to a type of prepay card called an OV chipcard..as a result less and less people buy tickets. But today there must have been a rush on them, as the driver of my bus to the Verbeeten Instituut had run out of Dag Kartes, a day ticket most people buy that lets them get around.

As usual I asked for en dag Kartje alstublieft, and got a reply in Dutch that said something like, no tickets, blah blah blah..Oh thinks I, in my usual UK brought up way..I'm stuffed and have to get off...

As I am turning round he repeats the last part again and I then had to own up to not understanding..Quick as a flash, in perfect English, he explains, he's run out of day tickets, but I'm welcome to ride on the bus and buy a day ticket on the way back.

Wow...just such a simple little show of trust and faith from a bus driver...can you Imagine that in the UK?? I know I can't.

I thanked him and took my seat, on my return journey I did indeed bay a dag kartje, even though I could have got away with a single at half the price....But trust should always be maintained and repayed. Thats why Holland isn't full of miserable cynical tossers who hate their lives.

Life here is just amazing.

Ahthankyew

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