Winter is the season when the Dutch character and temperament come into their town.
Long-time Dutch residents Raymond Carter writes of busy bishops and skating toddlers. It begins when the first skeins of geese moving in from the north under the grey, lowering sky, when the swarming, twittering flocks of tourists have flown. You can meet Dutchmen again on the streets of central Amsterdam and Holland hugs itself. Clocks and carillons have a clearer ring and the nights draw in at their natural pace round the costly lit windows. The Dutch winter has barely begun in November before preparations are under way to welcome the country's best-loved visitor.