As if to give some respite from the flatness of the land, trains all have doors at platform level and then 2 steep steps up into the carriage. In older trains, the seats are all bench-style rather than shaped for individuals as in Britain. The newer trains have 4 shaped seats across the width of the carrriage, showing greater respect for the size of the population than the British 5. Although they don't have the clockwork efficiently of the German railways, the network has good coverage and trains can usually be relied on to get you to where you want to be at the time you want to be there. Double-decker trains are not infrequent. Signs across the network are still the traditional blue background with white writing. The fabric of many stations is decaying, depressing - could be back home at Clapham Junction. And the staff wear grey uniforms with the kind of hat for which we learned the word "képi" at school.
Train times are always displayed on yellow posters for departures and white for arrivals. They are listed chronologically by train, so if you don't know the train routes, you have to read the whole thing to find one which is going to your destination.
Traditional bikes have a head tube and front fork which rake steeply backwards, giving a very upright riding position. There are no gears or just 3 hub gears and you brake by pedalling backwards. Prop stands, bells, dynamo lights and back racks are ubiquitous. Nowadays there are some hybrids and I even saw a model which was a kind of hybrid of a hybrid and sit-up-and-beg, complete with bar-ends.
Car number plates have red characters on a white ground. They are associated with the person rather than the car. The old black B on white is being replaced with a white B on blue, encircled with yellow EU stars.