True story: on my first business trip to Amsterdam, I flew alone, intending to meet up with colleagues who had flown before or would arrive later. I was worried about not being able to get around or make myself understood. First store I go into I timidly ask one of the clerks, "do you speak English?" With a slight air of scorn, he replies back, with a distinctly British accent, "of course I do." I told that story to a co-worker who was from The Netherlands. She explained to me that almost everyone speaks English there, especially in Amsterdam. And wherever I've traveled since (mostly western Europe), I've had no problem communicating.
And no, my business there had nothing to do with marijuana or the red light district.
