Bob in Europe

Goodbye Amsterdam, Part deux

After the museum, we began our search for a restaraunt and settled on a Japanese steakhouse. Chuck is absolutely right, Holland really doesn't have it's own food. We made our way to the back to the area where they cook your meal in front of you on the big grill with all the fancy foodwork. The plan was to eat dinner and make it back to the hotel at a decent time, but the 10 course japanese meal put the kabash on that plan. A couple of things - first time having sushi, and I love it, and japanese beer is very good.

After 3 hours or so, dinner was done, so we made out way back to the station by way of the Red Light District. Another European/American difference - no way in America would I or anyone else feel comfortable walking down that type of neighborhood with a mixed gender group of work peers. It's totally geared toward drugs and sex, and in American the undertone of sexual harrasement would reign supreme. In Europe, the idea of sexual harrasement is laughed at by the women. They view us Americans taking the issue to the highest extreme. In addition, the general attitude towards sex in Europe is more laid back.

Anyway, the Red Light District was, of course, fascinating. A georgous canal street with block after block of prostitution houses, coffee shops, and sex shops. The uniqueness of the street is the hookers advertising their goods in the window. If you were so inclined, you could legally go get high and buy a threesome. Amsterdam is, without a doubt, my new #1 city for people watching.

Our detour into the Red Light District caused us to miss the last airport shuttle one we returned to Schipol, so we split a cab and made it back in the early am.

posted by Bob @ 11:05 PM