Friends' Travels in Amsterdam, UK, and Iceland

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A few days before our departure, I flew to Peoria to visit with family ahead of the trip. On May 28, Jill and I took a Peoria Charter Coach to O'Hare Airport to board our Icelandair flight. Following a plane change in Reykjavik,we were bumped to First Class for the 3 hour flight to Amerstdam. Our hotel was very convenient to the train station, the main canal, and the tour busses; however, it was in the Red Light District! The hotel was very nice, but the neighborhood was a "happenin'" place. My introduction to Amsterdam was in the form of "Offbeat Amsterdam Red Light District Tour." This was pretty amazing! The streets were very busy with customers/gawkers/tourists, and the area had the smell of the coffee shops. They aren't selling coffee, but marijuana of all types. Red lights were hanging over many storefront windows where women of every size, age, and ethnicity displayed their scantily-clad bodies. I learned more about the prostitution industry than I even knew existed. They are licensed, taxed, and health-tested. The average time spent with each customer is 6 minutes, and these women earn over $100,000 a year. I'm sure my mouth was hanging open during the entire tour, because I was amazed by the things I learned!

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Photos

Spacecake
Just a little dessert.

Red Light District Sign
Apparently, this is a problem.