Kirsten,
My wife loved our time in the Netherlands, and she would go back in a heartbeat. The main thing is the culture shock of moving from the "South" in the USA to Europe. In the South if you seeing someone doing something wrong you notice it but unless it was something extreme you would never say anything about it. The Dutch people although very warm people individually, are very ruthless in their day to day dealings with each other. The person that just knocked you down charging through a door would be very nice and cordial if you stopped them and ask a question. The Dutch did not believe in LINES (queues) and would push to get to the front rather than wait their turn. I guess this comes from having so many people on such little land. These were cultural adjustments that may not have been as evident if we were moving from New York or maybe the "Northern part" of USA. We tend to be a little more laid back in the South, even in the cities.
My son was stationed in Germany while I lived in the Netherland so we spent a lot of time in Germany. During Christmas time We would go to Austria for Holiday. Where he was stationed was right on the Mosel so we spent a lot of time touring that area. We even went to Octoberfest in Munich.
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