Good people, I can't really stereotype them. I greatly enjoyed my visit there.

One thing that really impressed me about the Netherlands was the amount of work previous generations had done. I do woodworking as a hobby/sidejob. I examined old Dutch window frames very closely. I would estimate a master woodworker spent a week to make one window frame. Everything was carefully shaped and fit perfectly over 100 years later. America is all about production. Southern Europe is all about perfection. The Dutch seem to combine production and perfection.

I also thought a lot about the canals, and how rivers are elevated above the surrounding farmland. That's impressive civil engineering for any society. The Dutch accomplished these things centuries ago mostly with wooden shovels. The amount of labor involved is simply staggering.