Mw aux PB

There is a strange thing about the Dutch relationship with Germans. We make fun of them constantly. Their language sounds like Dutch received military training. Their holidays somehow always involve occupying every available campsite on the Dutch coast, and the moment summer begins, half of Germany appears to have received instructions to drive a caravan towards Zeeland. Yet underneath all the jokes, I think we actually like the Germans enormously. Spend time with them and much feels familiar. They appreciate things working properly, beer doesn't require an elaborate introduction, bread is treated with the seriousness it deserves, and arriving at an agreed time means arriving at the agreed time. There is comfort in that. A Dutchman and a German can spend twenty minutes complaining that something has been organized inefficiently and both leave the conversation feeling they have bonded. Of course, football temporarily suspends diplomatic relations. Mention 1974 to an older Dutchman and you may discover that historical reconciliation has certain administrative limits. We still sing about getting our bicycles back, despite Germany having returned rather more important things since 1945. But perhaps the teasing itself says something. You rarely make this many jokes about people who feel completely foreign. Germany is our enormous neighbour with whom we share centuries of history, closely related languages, trade, borders and countless cultural similarities. We disagree, compete and occasionally become irrational when twenty-two men start kicking a ball around. Then the match ends and Germans drive back to our beaches while Dutch people cross the border because petrol or groceries are seventeen cents cheaper. Peace in Europe was ultimately achieved through economic calculation. Very appropriate. I think that's why Germans feel less like distant foreigners and more like neighbours we are contractually obligated to annoy. We will mock their caravans. They will mock our language. We will argue about football. But when something serious happens, I know exactly which neighbour I want living next door. Just please leave one camping spot for us.