Road trip report

I am blogging this from the road while Bert drives.

We left Paris early this morning (well early for me!). My concierge service got us rooms at the Kranskopolski which is the only place to stay in Amsterdam.

Going direct with no stops we would be almost at the hotel by now. Instead we had lunch at a very nice restaurant just outside Luxembourg.

The plan is to make a stop at the
Planet Happy Garden on the way. Spend three or four hours there, then drive the remaining 100 miles or so to Amsterdam after the rush hour has cleared.

The PHG is the type of place that really shows the difference between 'decriminalization' and 'legalization'. In the UK even the largest parlors never have more than 6 girls. In Germany there are several clubs with 20, 30 or more girls working each night. The other big difference is in the quality of the furnishings. Even the 'upscale' UK parlors are pretty dingy, like a cheap seaside B&B. Thin towels and nylon sheets. The PHG is fitted out like an upscale business class hotel.

The difference is more than just cosmetic. It is just so much nicer to visit a place where someone is conspicously taking care of it and wants to make it a place that you want to stay for a while.

Its like the difference between my Jag and a Lada. Both with get you from A to B in more or less the same time. A leather and wood interior does not make the car go any faster or hold any more. But it does make the trip a lot more pleasant.