When I lived in Belgium they called it both Douane and Zoll. maybe it went through Belgium
I was under the impression that all mail from the US to Europe was sent in bulk to the Netherlands and from there to each respective country, it makes sense to me but then, what do I know.
In Belgium there are three languages officially, Dutch, French and German. Douane is both French and Dutch, Zoll is German. We would not use that in the Netherlands, we call it douane.
Again, I was under thee impression that in Belgium there were two languages, French and Walloon, being old school that may have change but we were in Bruxelles few years back for the Flower Carpet Festival and we pretty much communicated in French but as we visited the north part of the country it became more difficult to communicate due to the other language which none of us understood.
Hmm yes.
Walloon is actually French. With an accent and some words that are different from metropolitan French like nonante instead of quatre-vingt dix.
I suppose you wanted to mention Flemish as the other main language in Belgium. Flemish is a form of Dutch. We understand each other but there are some differences, more or less like British and American English.
In Belgium, French used to be the language of the upper class and the government and as a result the city of Brussels, which is in Flanders has de facto become a francophone city. This has caused much resentment in Flanders and that is why you don't get far with French in the northern part, like Antwerp. Everyone in Belgium learns French in school but the Flemish don't like to use it, especially the Flemish nationalists, of whom there are quite a few.
I stand corrected, yes, French and Flemish, and I relate to the mistrust of the different speaking people, not just there but here and everywhere else.
When I flew from Canada to Easter Europe my connecting flights were usually from Germany or the UK, never from the Netherlands.
I imagine mail will follow similar routes.
But it is also possible that someone made a mistake.
Yesterday I received a letter with some stamps I had bought from Dennis (grampadennis). My first reaction was that customs had a look, but when I checked better things became weird. The tape has German text on it, so does that mean my letter was opened by German customs? It does not seem like a logical route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands...
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
When I lived in Belgium they called it both Douane and Zoll. maybe it went through Belgium
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
I was under the impression that all mail from the US to Europe was sent in bulk to the Netherlands and from there to each respective country, it makes sense to me but then, what do I know.
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
In Belgium there are three languages officially, Dutch, French and German. Douane is both French and Dutch, Zoll is German. We would not use that in the Netherlands, we call it douane.
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
Again, I was under thee impression that in Belgium there were two languages, French and Walloon, being old school that may have change but we were in Bruxelles few years back for the Flower Carpet Festival and we pretty much communicated in French but as we visited the north part of the country it became more difficult to communicate due to the other language which none of us understood.
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
Hmm yes.
Walloon is actually French. With an accent and some words that are different from metropolitan French like nonante instead of quatre-vingt dix.
I suppose you wanted to mention Flemish as the other main language in Belgium. Flemish is a form of Dutch. We understand each other but there are some differences, more or less like British and American English.
In Belgium, French used to be the language of the upper class and the government and as a result the city of Brussels, which is in Flanders has de facto become a francophone city. This has caused much resentment in Flanders and that is why you don't get far with French in the northern part, like Antwerp. Everyone in Belgium learns French in school but the Flemish don't like to use it, especially the Flemish nationalists, of whom there are quite a few.
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
I stand corrected, yes, French and Flemish, and I relate to the mistrust of the different speaking people, not just there but here and everywhere else.
re: Weird route for a letter from Canada to the Netherlands
When I flew from Canada to Easter Europe my connecting flights were usually from Germany or the UK, never from the Netherlands.
I imagine mail will follow similar routes.
But it is also possible that someone made a mistake.