Rodney Bolt was born in Africa, has an Irish passport, a British driving licence and a Dutch residence permit. Having lived and worked in Greece, in England and in Germany, he has finally come to roost in Amsterdam, where such hybrid creatures pass unnoticed, and are even made to feel at home.

For many years he ran a pub theatre in London, and has worked as a theatre director, English teacher, private tutor, letter-sorter and journalist. Now he makes his living mainly from travel writing, and is failing to fend off the Dutch desire to write novels.

He divides his national affections between the Netherlands and Madeira, just as he hopes one day to divide his domestic arrangements between a canal house and a quinta in the hills. In the meantime he lives in one corner of a large 19th-century house, within walking distance of a street-market, a swimming pool and three excellent museums. He could ask for little more

The spirit of tolerance does constant battle with the ghost of Calvin for control of the Dutch psyche. Few Dutch people go to church any more, but they don't need to. Inside every Hollander's head is a little pulpit containing a preacher with a vermanende vinger, a wagging finger.
Xenophobia is an irrational fear of foreigners, probably justified, always understandable.
Xenophobe's Guides - an irreverent look at the beliefs and foibles of nations, almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

It's all in your mind
The spirit of tolerance does constant battle with the ghost of Calvin for control of the Dutch psyche. Few Dutch people go to church any more, but they don't need to. Inside every Hollander's head is a little pulpit containing a preacher with a wagging finger.

Going Dutch
This is the nation that once sold scrapers for getting the last remnants of the film of buttermilk from the inside of the bottle. The Dutch 'think with their pockets'. Parsimony is not an embarrassment, but a virtue.

Culture vultures
The Dutch are cultural magpies. They keep a beady eye on other people's cultural trends, and are swift to snap up sparkling new fashions. This means that rather than producing an indigenous culture, they have become voracious consumers of everybody else's - true Europeans, whose cultural fads and fancies know no borders. The Netherlands acts as a giant cultural sponge.

Double Dutch
For the Dutch, the other side of the question is as important as the question itself. Dialogue is the lubricant of tolerance, and the essential ingredient of dialogue is 'Yes, but...'.