shaya

Hi all-<BR>we are less than amonth away from a week in the Netherlands. I have a few questions-<BR><BR>1. What is appropriate attire for traveling/sightseeing in the netherlands? I have a vision of all Europeans as very stylish and am a little afraid I won't measure up. Are jeans ok? shorts? any suggestions (for women).<BR><BR>2. We are thinking of spending a day or two in Paris. Any suggestions on places to stay? We'd like comfortable, convenient and cheap (in pretty much that order)<BR><BR>3. Any difficulty bringing back Dutch cheese? Does it have to be pasteurized?<BR><BR>4. Anyne know of good places to rent a bike in Delft? Any ideas on what types of bikes are available and if helmets are rented as well?<BR><BR>Sorry for the deluge of questions...Thanks for any answers.<BR><BR>Shaya

DougP

With regard to clothes, you can wear whatever you like. The only caveat would be if you intend to enter cathedrals, opera houses, upscale restaurants or any other upscale function. I tend to dress daily as if I would be going into somebody's house of worship, when I'm on vacation in Europe this is generally the case. Lots of tourist destinations are somebody else's holy sites. Shorts or short skirts might not be respectful. If you are North American and going to a resort or beach location you might tend to be &quot; overdressed&quot;!<BR>have a great vacation.

Sjoerd

Wear whatever you want. We Dutch are *not* the best dressed people in Europe, there is no comparison with the French, Italians or even the Germans. In Europe, only the English dress &quot;worse&quot; (less stylish) than the Dutch. Jeans are fine. Shorts are fine if you are &lt; 40 years or if you are on a beach or outside a big city. Few older locals wear shorts in cities.<BR>You should be able to rent sturdy Dutch bikes at the railway station in Delft. No Dutch person wears a helmet on a bike (the only people I see wearing helmets on bicycles are foreign tourists), so bring them from home.

Michael

Try the Minerve Hotel in Paris. Friends stayed there and were very satisfied. It's in the Quartier Latin, within walking distance of the Ile de la Cite (Notre-Dame and the Sainte Chapelle), the rue Mouffetard (daily market), the Musee Cluny.

jenviolin

If you don't want to bring a bike helmet from home, you can buy one in Delft (4 bike stores at least) but there's nowhere to rent one. Bike rental is 20 yards south of the train station.
Don't worry about what to wear, or at least save those worries for Paris and remember that there will always be plenty of tourists dressed much more awfully than you! Here's a typical spring Dutch woman's attire: 3/4 length pants, jeans or colored slacks; sandals, sneakers or comfortable shoes with a bit of style; blouse or t-shirt with long or 3/4 sleeves, with sweater, oversize blouse, blazer or scarf if it's not hot. Lots of women are wearing microfiber pants with extra zippers and drawstrings these days. Looks casual chic if you're slim. (Just in case you're not slim at all and want to do some shopping in Delft, there is a very good shop for plus sizes on the corner of the Spoorsingel and the Havenstraat, just 3 minutes' walk from the train station or the center of town. I forget the name but I'll check it if you want to know.) Really, the only clothes which may make you feel like Josephine Tourist are loose jeans with white sneakers, a pink polo shirt tucked in with a white belt, a fanny pack,
and a baseball cap or sun visor. And even then, who cares?