That's weird.

Our recent adventures into non-German speaking lands produced a number of moments to which I could only respond " The (fill-in-the-blank people group) are weird!" I know there was a time when I thought Germans were a bit strange (wait, no I still think that every once in a while) but taking me out of Germany seemed to reinforce a creeping suspicion that on some things, the Germans aren't total weirdos and that maybe it's the rest of Europe that's a wee bit kooky.

zum Beispiel:

Obviously this McDonalds has had a problem with hooligans lollygagging about (sp?). But this sign elicited a number of questions as we sat sipping our shared Coke, killing time before a dinner reservation (which it should be noted is absolutely NOT lollygagging about). Question #1: Why is the sign in English? Do English-speaking teenagers regularly just sit in McDonalds while in Amsterdam? #2: When they say "no trading" what exactly do they mean? Because I have a lovely set of Lion King cards I've been looking to trade in...

Weird.

I bear no ill will towards fast food. In fact, I applaud its contributions to society. But this, this has gone too far. Poptarts and Bugles are allowed to come out vending machines. I'll even allow Jerky and coffee. But burgers, fries, and the Dutch equivalent of a Hot Pocket-too far!!! Not okay, Holland. Not okay.

Weird.

I'm a fan of the tiny vehicles one can find in Europe. Yes, there are SmartCars everywhere. Yes, there are three-wheeled cars. And I adore coming across Minis, especially the vintage ones. But this little Dutch bugger was a new discovery. It has four wheels. It was parked on the sidewalk for safe-keeping. It came up to John's chest and apparently needed to be chained to a pole. One word...

Weird.