Some oldies maybe ? Try the new ones

I think they were new.
Maybe the switches in Belgium happen to be the good ones.

The most standing out differences are -

Old switches make metallic or metal-on-carbolite sound of click. New ones make plasticky, and the cheap ones really sound of a "crack" more than "click"

Old switches have spring that is pulling together parts on pivots. New ones use a springy "pusher" that pushes the contact to position. They are both "snapping" if you switch them normally, but you can defeat the "pusher" echanism more easily than the pulling spring

Old switches exterior is made of Phenolic polymers (usually). New swiches exterior is made of Plastic

The most standing out differences are -

Old switches make metallic or metal-on-carbolite sound of click. New ones make plasticky, and the cheap ones really sound of a "crack" more than "click"

Old switches have spring that is pulling together parts on pivots. New ones use a springy "pusher" that pushes the contact to position. They are both "snapping" if you switch them normally, but you can defeat the "pusher" echanism more easily than the pulling spring

Old switches exterior is made of Phenolic polymers (usually). New swiches exterior is made of Plastic

Oops, I just remembered that they felt like a crack, not click.
But the ones in the hotel were better.

For me the `fun` in LED is the tech!, yes they just come on, (although like Ash says, they do have a cool afterglow, seen better in the filament types), but its the tech that interests me, I have been reading books on fluorescent and HID lamps for years, and fully understand the workings of them.
But LED is another thing, I still don`t understand the EXACT workings of them, and thats what make it `fun`!

For me the `fun` in LED is the tech!, yes they just come on, (although like Ash says, they do have a cool afterglow, seen better in the filament types), but its the tech that interests me, I have been reading books on fluorescent and HID lamps for years, and fully understand the workings of them.
But LED is another thing, I still don`t understand the EXACT workings of them, and thats what make it `fun`!

If you want to learn the exact workings of them, you need several years of school in Quantum Mechanics. 

Oh......, I was hoping it wouldn`t come to that!

What about LED filaments? They're a normal looking light bulb.

Quite a bit of the knowledge of semiconductors is empirical, that is, we know how something behaves and we know it well enough to be able to engineer around it, but still cant explain what is going on inside exactly - Only with some approximate models

Its the micro engineering that goes into filament LED that impresses me the most, to put those micro SMT diodes on a that tiny strip, then coat it with the form of phosphor they use, and have it perform and look like a tungsten filament is electrical engineering at its best!

And no one else but the Japanese could have come up with it!

For me- I'm enjoying learning about the unique traits that each manufacture has with their LEDs.  So far, I've gotten LEDs from Philips, GE, Sylvania, and Feit.  Each act differently and the color tone is different as is the way they start up.  I've also been placing these LEDs in the "hard to get to" fixtures in my church buildings, such as flood lights 40 ft above the ground, and in mechanical rooms where you have to snake thru conduits and air handler vents and what not to get to the fixture. However-  I am very adamant about keeping my fluorescent fixtures true fluorescent.  T12s and T8s. 

I like led streetlights, because new models are often a surprise to me. Engineers have been trying various designs since the 2000's, so each model has its own "personality" in both external design and beam pattern. Some look cheap, some are powerful without any glare, some are futuristic, some look like incandescent or HID, etc.
I also like the tint, which is sometimes cool and comparable to fluorescent, and sometimes very confortable (high-CRI and golden neutral tint).

I don't like HPS and I miss mercury lighting –as well as incandescent street lighting that was very rare in the 80's-90's when I was young–, so led lighting remains the best modern technology to mimic the old ones.

I like led streetlights, because new models are often a surprise to me. Engineers have been trying various designs since the 2000's, so each model has its own "personality" in both external design and beam pattern. Some look cheap, some are powerful without any glare, some are futuristic, some look like incandescent or HID, etc.
I also like the tint, which is sometimes cool and comparable to fluorescent, and sometimes very confortable (high-CRI and golden neutral tint).

I don't like HPS and I miss mercury lighting –as well as incandescent street lighting that was very rare in the 80's-90's when I was young–, so led lighting remains the best modern technology to mimic the old ones.

I only remember HPS, and I can only hope for the LED streetlights to get a green tint.