The Dutch live on both sides of the Rhine river, and in Germany all people from the Netherlands are called HoIIänder or Hollanders. 

The Dutch often joke about themselves saying: God created heaven and earth — but the Dutch themselves made Holland. There is a grain of truth in this, since the Dutch reclaimed their land from the sea through the construction of superb dikes. In the spring, hundreds of buses journey to the huge 70 acre botanical gardens of Keukenhof (just north of the town of Leiden). Seeing the profusion of tulips, hyacinths and narcissus in full bloom is the highlight of a visit to this annual Dutch flower show. In the autumn, the buses then travel to the Dutch city of Gouda known for its famous cheese. The weight of a large whole Gouda cheese-wheel can be anywhere from 11 to 26 pounds. A mayor attraction in Gouda is the ancient scale from the year 1660. Young, attractive girls are weighed there against the weight of the cheesewheels to the cheers of the onlookers. The heaviest girl, that is, the one who requires the most cheese to balance the scale, is declared the winner. 

Interestingly enough, the winner for the past few years running, has always been an American!