I come back from Belgium where I participated to a European conference about software. This year I decided not only to watch talks, but also to walk to each and every stand and have a chat with the people. So: European conference and Belgium. A language paradise. I have success as well as failure stories

Here a few anecdotes:
- at a parking place, a Belgian guy asked me in Dutch how he could pay for the parking. I started explain me and after a while he told me we could speak in English or in French. I proposed him German. We spoke German

(my Dutch is much better than my German, but I won't speak English with you!)
- in the conference, I had quite a long chat in English with a guy, when I noticed from his name he was Dutch. I switched to Dutch and we kept talking in Dutch. He was pleasantly surprised.
- I walk to another stand, I approach a guy in English, he tells me: hey don't worry we can speak Dutch! I was amazed and very surprised. I ask him, in Dutch, what does make you think I can speak Dutch? He tells me: you sound very Dutch! He was also very impressed by my Dutch. The guy of the parking place seemed to think differently though
- I walk to another stand, a French guy with a very French accent explains me in English about their product. At the end I said a couple of sentences in French. I ended up saying: merci pour ta éxplication. He was pleased, I left ashamed for my grammar mistake.
- after having a nice chat with a team, they tell me: this guy is a speaker, come to see his talk later. I will, I say, I count on it says the other. I do it, and at the end of his talk I reach him to congratulate him. I see him speaking in Dutch with another attendant (he's Belgian), I also approach him in Dutch. The guy "wtf??? Also Dutch?!"
- at the restaurant's hotel a waitress approaches me in English. Fantastic, another person that assumes I can't speak Dutch I think. I order the drink, when she comes back to take the order I do so in Dutch. She did a terrified face and she says: I'm sorry I don't speak Dutch! Oh sorry I thought you were speaking in English to help me I say. Where are you from? ITALY she says. Lol with all the countries! Perfetto, allora parliamo in italiano I say. The relief on her face!
So yes, I'm not a great polyglot, I don't really have a usage for most of the languages I know or I would like to know, but in such occasions it's damn fun!