Wednesday in Berlin

Amsterdam to Berlin was not a good option because of the lack of low fare airlines. There is one such airline but it only operated a late afternoon flight which would do us no good. So we were forced to train it over to Berlin which necessitated a 5 hour ride. The trains were nice; it was relaxing and it allowed us to catch up on some Zzzzz's. And one leg included the famous German ICE train which at one point was running over 180 miles per hour!

Upon arrival we took the S-Bahn elevated train to the stop closest our hotel and upon arrival learned that the hotel had experienced a fire the previous weekend and many rooms were destroyed. But they called us a taxi and moved us to the much more expensive Crowne Plaza and only charged us their cheaper rate. So we could complain about that.

Northern Germany in winter, especially this far east in the time zone, means it gets dark around 4pm. So we had to move quickly but we only got to experience the Victory Column, Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate before it got pitch black. Like London, we purchased a Day Ticket (Tageskarte) for the local transit system which goes literally everywhere. The largest department store on the European continent is in Berlin....Ka De We....and stopped there before they closed to buy a couple items. My friend had a mission and that was to experience a real German meal. We both had Wiener Schniztels (Breaded Veal Cutlets, Vienna Style) which is actually Austrian, not German. But they were delicious. We both agreed the German girls were the best of the 3 cities; beautiful. And we couldn't get enough of the skinny jeans tucked into tall black boots look seen everywhere. We just don't get enough of that look here in Florida!

Tuesday in Amsterdam

We were out of our London hotel by 5am and on the tube heading to London Heathrow Airport. This is the largest of London's 5 airports and the easiest to get to. Our fare over to Amsterdam was an incredible £5.00 although with taxes it was still around $45. But cheap nonetheless. This was a first flight ever for me on an airline called "bmi". (formerly British Midland). In less than an hour we were on the ground at Amsterdam.

My friend really liked Amsterdam. He commented that London was too much like the U.S. and the girls were uglier. I don't know; I saw plenty of hot girls walking around London. But it's true that the signs are in English, the people are speaking English, the buildings are very modern. It could be an American city. But he immediately got into the foreignness of the Netherlands. The buildings are very old and they have a certain look to them. No high rises. Bicycles everywhere, even on this 40-degree day. The signs are in Dutch and that's what is being spoken, even though everyone speaks English quite well too. Definitely Amsterdam is a great city! The only thing wrong this day was that there was a very light drizzle; the only rain of the trip. But it was so light that one hardly got wet. But it was cold too.

Lunch was in an Arab kabob-joint on the main drag, the Damrak. Very good. For dinner I had to have some pancakes and a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant near the Red Light District was quite unique. When we went in the owner was sitting at a table smoking hashish from his water pipe. He took our order, prepared all the food himself and while we dined he was back smoking his hash. But I can't complain. My chocolate covered pancakes....the size of the entire plate...were awesome!

OK, what did we do in Amsterdam. Well, we visited the Sex Museum. This is 3 floors of photographs and props having to do with sex over the past century. Quite interesting. And no visit to AMS would be complete without a visit to the famous Red Light District. For those of you who haven't been there, let me describe it. It's an area of Amsterdam spread over 10 blocks or so of girls for sale. Or should I say rent? Each has their own tiny little studio apartment with a glass doorway they stand in, trying to get customers. Of course there is a red light above each doorway. If the curtains are closed, business is being transacted. If they're open, check her out. There are all shapes and sizes and colors available. Something for everyone. There is no nudity but they are dressed in sexy attire; some more than others. Plenty of high heels and tall boots. I did inquire and the going rate is €50 for a suck or a fuck. No purchases were made though; this was "window shopping" only trip.

Then it was on to the Live Sex Show at Casa Rosa. This is another Amsterdam institution and for €50 including 3 drinks, my friend got to witness it for himself. (I had been 3 times previous!) The show consists of 8 separate "skits" and then when they being to repeat themselves again, it's time to leave. Some of the skits that come to mind:
1. White girl with white guy
2. Black girl with black guy
3. Girl with banana - with 3 guys pulled from audience getting to remove it!
4. Girl with lit cigar - don't ask!
5. Guy pulled from audience with dildo strapped to his head. Guy was from China or Mongolia or somewhere that he had a problem understanding what he was supposed to do with it.
6. Girl pulled from audience got to undress the performer. She got soooo into it.
7. Batman rescues a girl from evil and she rewards him for his kindness
And one other skit that doesn't come to mind so it must have not been that good.
And then there was the gorilla. Someday I might tell you what the gorilla does.
Now I realize that this sounds sleazy and I guess it is, but it's hardly a "Guys" show. I would estimate that about 40% of the audience were women. And a good time was had by all!

So no, we didn't do the Reiksmuseum, we didn't do the Rembrandt Museum, we didn't do the Ann Frank Haus. We did better!