Walking is also a popular activity in the Netherlands. Walking holidays were established so that people could enjoy the 188-mile long coast with numerous scenic walks through sand dunes and nature reserves. An annual six-day walking event is conducted in August, where any individual can participate.
The western shore provides the Dutch population with various types of watersports, including swimming, windsurfing, sailing, parachuting, water-skiing, and fishing. Fishing is traditionally a very popular activity throughout the country. Touring Holland's canals and rivers is also a widespread activity. .
The Netherlands is also famous for their flower and cheese markets. The most admired flowers are tulips and daffodils. The Netherlands conduct one of the world's most famous flower exhibitions, The Floriade, every ten years. The cheese market is held from mid-April to mid-September every year. .
The Dutch have few dishes of their own. Almost every town is equipped with a wide range of restaurants with international cuisines including Chinese, Italian, French, Balkan, Spanish, German, American, and British. Seafood dishes are highly recommended. Restaurants, bars, and cafes usually have table service, but some are self-service. There are no licensing laws in the country, so drinks can be purchased all day. .
Language.
According to PeopleSoft, a company in Pleasanton, CA, "The Netherlands is very business friendly, and its multilingual workforce helps PeopleSoft avoid many of the obstacles that come with expanding overseas." v/s Robin Washington, Finance director, PeopleSoft, (Netherlands Investment News, Spring 1998). The official language of the Netherlands is Dutch. However, in the western region of the country, Frisian, a Germanic language is often spoken. In addition, both Belgium and the Netherlands use a common literary language, called modern standard Dutch. The local dialects change considerably from the standard language, varying from village to village across the country.
