msterdam is famous for its Red Light district, pot smoking coffee houses and tolerance to dope in general.

Amsterdam reminds me of the movie Pinocchio. Do you remember that part where he travels with those boys to Pleasure Island and get so raucous that they all turn to donkeys? That's Amsterdam in a nutshell.

Here is the problem: A fairly modern European city with no real architectural, artistic, or even linguistic distinction from other northern European cities tries to lure tourists with their marijuana and legalized prostitution. Fortunately there is a law on the books saying you can't serve beer and sell pot in the same place. That's probably there to keep American college students from inadvertently committing suicide.

The famous "Red Light" district is a street full of shops advertising sex. Prostitutes sit in the windows wearing their teddies and bored faces. Contrary to the cute young college girls seen in the ads, most are already long in the tooth and show the impact of too many years of abuse. It is a disgraceful exploitation.

We were approached on the street by groups of men asking where the "Red Light" district was. Still, I think there were more of "ladies in windows" than there were customers on the street. Maybe things picked up later at night.

Amsterdam stresses the fact that these establishments are controlled and restricted to one district. But, we saw these window establishments in locations far away from the "Red Light" district.

A man would have to be very needy or very drunk to want to visit one of these places.

Lets go to France.

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