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Amsterdam is a city of legalized prostitution, decriminalized marijuana, lots of canals, and many, many bikes. So many bikes! More bikes than cars. I’m told the number of bikers in the city daily reaches into the hundreds of thousands. I totally believe it.

The stoner culture is interesting. You can only legally have something like 1/6 of an once of pot at any time. There are “coffee shops” that really don’t sell any coffee, and the smell can be found almost anywhere in the city.

The red light district itself is an experience just to walk through. Girls in bikinis are beckoning from behind windows, while tourists and mounted police abound. We grabbed a beer and just people watched for a while. The whole area is full of such foreign social interactions to me.

Amsterdam also felt pretty expensive, all things considered. And definitely a good place to be a tourist in. Moving on was bittersweet as I had the better part of 7 hours to spend on a train heading to Berlin and Carli and I split for her trip back to the states.

But next I get a new friend to travel around with: Joe!