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It's really obvious when you cross the NL/BE or NL/DE borders though, signage becomes different, houses look different. So unless you cross the border in a wood

It's really obvious when you cross the NL/BE or NL/DE borders though, signage becomes different, houses look different. So unless you cross the border in a wooded area, you will definitely know.

benj111 7y ago
"houses look different" Really? Just over the border? I would have thought cross pollination over the years would have rendered housing styles identical. Plus aren't there streets where one half is Dutch, the other half Belgian? Edit: Like here for example https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Hertog https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Hertog
- deleted 7y ago
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- Aaargh20318 7y ago
  Yes, just over the border. I live really close to the German border and you instantly notice, everything suddenly looks, well.. German. A lot of things don't cross-pollinate because they are decided on a national level. So things like the style of signage, traffic lights and other 'street furniture' are all different. Germany also still uses a lot of above-ground cabling which is another instantly obvious difference. Building codes are probably different too, which affects how buildings look. It's not just the country, it's the people too. Living in a city near the German border we get a lot of people from Germany shopping on weekends. Often you can spot the Germans simply by how they are dressed, especially older people. I can't really put my finger on what is different (as an IT guy I'm kind of oblivious to fashion) but there must be some subtle differences as even I subconsciously pick it up. > Plus aren't there streets where one half is Dutch, the other half Belgian? It's even easier to spot when you're crossed the border into Belgium, if you suddenly feel like you're driving off-road you're in Belgium.
- donkeyd 7y ago
  Yes, really. Regulations in the Netherlands are much stricter than in Belgium. In Belgium you van have a row with 5 completely different houses, sometimes you have a free standing rowhouse (yes, really) next to bungalow. In the Netherlands, houses on a street will usually look very much the same and everything is planned. In expensive neighborhoods with big houses it's more differentiated, but even there you have to adhere to many rules. Baarle-Hertog is indeed a bit of an exception to this rule, but generally you can see it quite clearly.
A_No_Name_Mouse 7y ago
I once did a dropping where we started in NL and found out we had ended up in Belgium in the morning. We didn't notice because we never left the woods. And we were way too drunk to notice anyway (I was a student then, not a small kid)

It's really obvious when you cross the NL/BE or NL/DE borders though, signage becomes different, houses look different. So unless you cross the border in a wooded area, you will definitely know.

benj111 7y ago

"houses look different" Really? Just over the border? I would have thought cross pollination over the years would have rendered housing styles identical. Plus aren't there streets where one half is Dutch, the other half Belgian? Edit: Like here for example https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Hertog https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baarle-Hertog

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
Aaargh20318 7y ago
Yes, just over the border. I live really close to the German border and you instantly notice, everything suddenly looks, well.. German. A lot of things don't cross-pollinate because they are decided on a national level. So things like the style of signage, traffic lights and other 'street furniture' are all different. Germany also still uses a lot of above-ground cabling which is another instantly obvious difference. Building codes are probably different too, which affects how buildings look. It's not just the country, it's the people too. Living in a city near the German border we get a lot of people from Germany shopping on weekends. Often you can spot the Germans simply by how they are dressed, especially older people. I can't really put my finger on what is different (as an IT guy I'm kind of oblivious to fashion) but there must be some subtle differences as even I subconsciously pick it up. > Plus aren't there streets where one half is Dutch, the other half Belgian? It's even easier to spot when you're crossed the border into Belgium, if you suddenly feel like you're driving off-road you're in Belgium.
donkeyd 7y ago
Yes, really. Regulations in the Netherlands are much stricter than in Belgium. In Belgium you van have a row with 5 completely different houses, sometimes you have a free standing rowhouse (yes, really) next to bungalow. In the Netherlands, houses on a street will usually look very much the same and everything is planned. In expensive neighborhoods with big houses it's more differentiated, but even there you have to adhere to many rules. Baarle-Hertog is indeed a bit of an exception to this rule, but generally you can see it quite clearly.

A_No_Name_Mouse 7y ago

I once did a dropping where we started in NL and found out we had ended up in Belgium in the morning. We didn't notice because we never left the woods. And we were way too drunk to notice anyway (I was a student then, not a small kid)