A thought about languages and other Amsterdam, Netherlands Local Custom Tips

Strolling along one of the canals in RLD I came across that sign, which clearly states its purpose in so many languages, including my native Polish. I was more than surprised. At this point I had already got used to the fact that nearly all public signs in Amsterdam are written in Dutch only, incomprehensible to non-native speakers like myself. (I did try to learn some phrases in Dutch but it was futile). Fair enough, in Poland we have a similar strategy, most signs are Polish only. What worried me a little, though, was my grocery shopping in Amsterdam. Whenever I wanted to buy something in a supermarket, especially some kind of fancy foods I didn't know, I couldn't understand what it was or what I was supposed to do with it, as most products had no information in English or any other language except Dutch. In Poland it's quite different. Sometimes it is hard to find information about the product in Polish, but it's always there in English, German, French, Spanish and Russian at least.
So here I was, standing in front of that exuberant, truly cosmopolitan sign, admiring, but also wishing quietly it was not 'nasiona konopii siewnych' that was being advertised with such erudition, but something more deserving perhaps. But this is just a matter of taste.
And one more thing about using English in Amsterdam; I confess that I haven't met a Dutchman who didn't speak English. And I had plenty of opportunities. My favourite example is this: on the second day of our stay we got a little lost in the city. Then homeless guy came up and offered help, initialy in Dutch. We shook our heads so he swaped to German. But since neither of us is very proficient in that language either, we asked him if he could speak English. He only smiled and swapped to English. Here I think of my native Poland again. We do have all products in the shop with information in a few languages. But if you ask an ordinary Pole about anything in English, you may not be as lucky as I was in Amsterdam.

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I'm a cat lover and I like animals in general. So I was pleasantly surprised that the hostel where I was staying had its own cute pet - a big, red cat, whose name I can't remember now. He didn't belong to anyone in particular, it was he who chose the hostel, where he evidently felt quite at home. And all the staff loved him, he had his own bowls and a supply of cat's food in the kitchen, you could see him frequently dozing on a stool in the bar, where he could always count on free milk. He wasn't very playful but he didn't mind being stroked by strangers. He really was a star and a great attraction of the hostel.
The second proof I have that the Dutch love cats is the Amsterdam cats' museum. Just imagine, a whole museum devoted to cats!
Finally, look at the ad I saw somewhere in the street. I couldn't resist and took a photo. Although the quality is lousy I attach it here along with the picture of the hostel star.

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Have you noticed that most houses in Holland haven't got any curtains in the windows? Or anything else to protect their privacy from a stranger's eyes? I can find some argument for such arrangement on the upper floors: curtains block sunlight which is scarse most of the year, and it takes effort and time to wash them. But what about the basement? Aren't people who live there embarrassed or angry when people from the street peep into their lives?! I for myself sometimes felt embarrassed to pass and more or less involutarily look inside.

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