Your post does suggest that it would be easy to find a 'coffee' shop in the Netherlands, as if there's one on every street!
Admittedly, my visit to Amsterdam was more of one to set up base camp in the suburbs and start firing away with my InterRail the following morning, so I didn't do the touristy thing and explore Amsterdam properly. I would still say the stereotype of the city being, umm, under the influence is grossly unfair, everyone I met was completely normal. If you want to do that sort of thing, there's no doubt plenty of places you could do so, I know there must be as I know people who've come back from Amsterdam who sampled the 'culture'.
I need to go back to Amsterdam though, as I never got to properly sample the Metro and didn't see any of the trams. I also need to visit Centraal station there.
As for the Germany debate, I had no issues with the DB railway on my shorter-than-intended visit (I should have a trip report here somewhere, I believe this was the enormous 'Tech's Four Countries' bash in 2013, that'll explain all) although my knowledge of German had all but disappeared from the memory banks so I was glad to have my German book with me. More so the guy on the information point knew English well enough to help me! I'm going to have to find that trip report for a read again, indeed I must have a look on my Flickr and trip down Memory Lane at the photos!
Anyway, point there was that my visit to Germany was insufficient to comment fairly on the UK vs Germany thing. My very limited (to one journey!) experience with SJ in Sweden, however, was more impressionable and I would prefer to visit Sweden again over Germany. I would research those loco-hauled services I saw those, that could be good fun.
Oh dear, here we go again, I want to go to Europe again now...
