Posted: Wed 3rd Feb 2010 06:30 pm
Wednesday Jan. 13th/'10
"Woke-up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head"....Beatles.
Got up around 9:30ish, no rush today, we don't leave until 7:15pm and I don't have anything to do, other than a quick SSS, until I go to the airport at 3:30pm. LittleD called and he is getting excited now that he has finally received his passport and the fact that he had not been on a plane in some 30 odd years. We decide to meet at the airport at 3:00pm, LittleD has a 1-2 hr. drive into and across the city, what with all the added security we are expecting and our combined anticipation, getting there 4 hrs. early doesn't seem out of line. Besides, any spare time can be spent supping over-priced beers in the airport bars.
We're off to the airport. Puff the last couple on the way there, hook-up with LittleD....hadn't seen him for almost 2 years....easy check-in at the machines, the bags are deposited with Air France and we're off for our first beers. Now it's have a couple of beers and then outside for a cigarette or two and back for a beer....this goes on for 2 hours or so. I'll be sleeping on this flight for sure.
Famous last words. They served us a meal and then I could not get to sleep, seems I should have had a couple more of those over-priced beers earlier, so I ordered a couple of over-priced in flight drinks and they worked fine. Seven and a half hours later we land in Paris. An hour of confusion after we land at CDG stretches into two hours of confusion and delays. Bad signage and no visible information or assistance. KLM from here to Amsterdam, now I can see the ground below and as we near Amsterdam and the ground starts coming up to meet us, I'm about to burst with excitement. We land around noon, breeze through customs and security and grab a shuttle to the hotel....I don't have wheels on my bags and I'm not going to lug them around on the train and then hump them down Damrak from the station to Dam Square, so the extra 10 or so euros is well spent for me.
It's Thursday Jan 14th. at what feels like 6:00am for us.
We arrive at Hotel Amsterdam - De Roode Leeuw, previously mentioned in one of Stuart1976's post's I believe as the place where the old folks he drove there with stayed? Anyway....our room won't be ready until 3:00pm so, we stash the bags there turn around and head out the door.
Now, remember that I booked this trip four and a half months ago and had been doing research and looking at maps since then. I knew where I wanted to go, what I wanted when I got there and how to get there. Out the door bear right across Dam Square, staying to the left of the monument, onto Dam at the top of Nes, left, head shop on the right...nip in, get a nice metal grinder and papers, walk along Dam to the third canal turn right down a block and look for the blue sign....I'm sure quite a few of you know the door handle that was in my hand.....Basjoe's.
The first coffeeshop!!! Walk in (two patrons seated in the booths on the right), up to the counter, ask if the man (with the knotted dread) behind said counter is James...knowing full well that this has to be the man I have read so much about here on ACD, he affirms my suspicions and I introduce myself and I tell him that I have read about him here on ACD in many reports, the latest being the exceptionally fine B'Day Adventure report by luvtick ...I get a fist bump from James....HOW COOL IS THAT FOR JUST LANDING. I even know what I want for my first smoke, 2grs. of Bas Special. LittleD grabs a couple of g's of Royal Hash, of course we get coffee's also and we settle at the table down front by the window....newbies want to look out the window and be amazed. Which is not hard at this point. The architecture, the bikes, the canals, the women (lots of nice looking women in this town, so far), the bikes. I'm sitting in the window at Basjoe's about to roll my first joint. I'm not what one would call a connoisseur of pot, I know that this pot smelt great and it felt sticky as I removed some from the bag and put it in my new grinder. By now I'm gagging for a joint. LittleD is crumbling hash at a furious pace. Just as I'm lighting this memorable first joint...big cloud of smoke around my head and I'm well into my second draw...two cops walk past the window, both turn and look directly at me. Well, without any conscious thought from me, my arm moves and I hid the joint under the table...much to the delight of the aforementioned two patrons. I explain how this was not a conscious act and the one fella tells me "it's alright, they were parking wardens anyway". Busted a gut. Finished the rest rest of the joint peacefully....tasted great and the buzz was a creeper....a few more of James' fine coffee's and we puffed LittleD's hasher. Nice and high after that. I ask if I may take a photo inside the shop, not to include anybody other than LittleD and I, not only is it cool with everyone but James strolls out from behind the counter and I have a photo of him and I together. We roll a mix of the two, say our goodbyes....with promises of returning....and head out. It's about 2:30pm, we're both fairly high, we have a plan and we have the ACD Coffeeshop map. Up the canal, through the RLD, hang a left, cross Damrak and it's on the left. 420/Kuil. Well it might be there but, we certainly weren't. Turned a street to soon we discover, wonder if that mixed joint we discreetly puffed on the way was any help? Found it.
Two lovely looking ladies were serving coffee and bud and both turned out to be nice. I amble to the bud bar and get 2grs Blueberry and LittleD gets 2grs of 420 Kush, a couple of coffees, ask the tobacco policy and we are rolling joints in 420.... The Blueberry was very sweet smelling and I was exceptionally buzzed when it was butted out in the ashtray. We puffed one of the Kush but, I couldn't tell you what it was like...just that I was clued to the chair for a while. More coffees, roll a mix of the BB and Kush and we're off. A couple of lefts, half a joint and I believe I can smell the cheese. We walk into HGF. Good tunes, don't what was on, just says 'good tunes' in notes. Friendly bud tender. We get 2grs Cheese, 1gr Sour Diesel, 2grs Silver Pearl and 1gr Jack between LittleD and I. The place is almost empty at this time and we grab hot chocolates and dig into our new purchases. I rolled a large pure cheese (on the recommendation of Stuart1976, nice one Stuart) and have no notes after that point. LittleD says we puffed two more, one of the Silver Pearl and one Jack. I do not remember leaving HGF but do remember the walk, which took us to Kadinsky's where we got 1gr Bubble gum and 2grs Moroc Brown. Friendly bud tender but tiny place. Puffed one of the hash and headed back to the hotel, which was just around the corner, to check-in.
Had a nap.
I'll leave it there for now, this is getting really long.
"Woke-up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head"....Beatles.
Got up around 9:30ish, no rush today, we don't leave until 7:15pm and I don't have anything to do, other than a quick SSS, until I go to the airport at 3:30pm. LittleD called and he is getting excited now that he has finally received his passport and the fact that he had not been on a plane in some 30 odd years. We decide to meet at the airport at 3:00pm, LittleD has a 1-2 hr. drive into and across the city, what with all the added security we are expecting and our combined anticipation, getting there 4 hrs. early doesn't seem out of line. Besides, any spare time can be spent supping over-priced beers in the airport bars.
We're off to the airport. Puff the last couple on the way there, hook-up with LittleD....hadn't seen him for almost 2 years....easy check-in at the machines, the bags are deposited with Air France and we're off for our first beers. Now it's have a couple of beers and then outside for a cigarette or two and back for a beer....this goes on for 2 hours or so. I'll be sleeping on this flight for sure.
Famous last words. They served us a meal and then I could not get to sleep, seems I should have had a couple more of those over-priced beers earlier, so I ordered a couple of over-priced in flight drinks and they worked fine. Seven and a half hours later we land in Paris. An hour of confusion after we land at CDG stretches into two hours of confusion and delays. Bad signage and no visible information or assistance. KLM from here to Amsterdam, now I can see the ground below and as we near Amsterdam and the ground starts coming up to meet us, I'm about to burst with excitement. We land around noon, breeze through customs and security and grab a shuttle to the hotel....I don't have wheels on my bags and I'm not going to lug them around on the train and then hump them down Damrak from the station to Dam Square, so the extra 10 or so euros is well spent for me.
It's Thursday Jan 14th. at what feels like 6:00am for us.
We arrive at Hotel Amsterdam - De Roode Leeuw, previously mentioned in one of Stuart1976's post's I believe as the place where the old folks he drove there with stayed? Anyway....our room won't be ready until 3:00pm so, we stash the bags there turn around and head out the door.
Now, remember that I booked this trip four and a half months ago and had been doing research and looking at maps since then. I knew where I wanted to go, what I wanted when I got there and how to get there. Out the door bear right across Dam Square, staying to the left of the monument, onto Dam at the top of Nes, left, head shop on the right...nip in, get a nice metal grinder and papers, walk along Dam to the third canal turn right down a block and look for the blue sign....I'm sure quite a few of you know the door handle that was in my hand.....Basjoe's.
The first coffeeshop!!! Walk in (two patrons seated in the booths on the right), up to the counter, ask if the man (with the knotted dread) behind said counter is James...knowing full well that this has to be the man I have read so much about here on ACD, he affirms my suspicions and I introduce myself and I tell him that I have read about him here on ACD in many reports, the latest being the exceptionally fine B'Day Adventure report by luvtick ...I get a fist bump from James....HOW COOL IS THAT FOR JUST LANDING. I even know what I want for my first smoke, 2grs. of Bas Special. LittleD grabs a couple of g's of Royal Hash, of course we get coffee's also and we settle at the table down front by the window....newbies want to look out the window and be amazed. Which is not hard at this point. The architecture, the bikes, the canals, the women (lots of nice looking women in this town, so far), the bikes. I'm sitting in the window at Basjoe's about to roll my first joint. I'm not what one would call a connoisseur of pot, I know that this pot smelt great and it felt sticky as I removed some from the bag and put it in my new grinder. By now I'm gagging for a joint. LittleD is crumbling hash at a furious pace. Just as I'm lighting this memorable first joint...big cloud of smoke around my head and I'm well into my second draw...two cops walk past the window, both turn and look directly at me. Well, without any conscious thought from me, my arm moves and I hid the joint under the table...much to the delight of the aforementioned two patrons. I explain how this was not a conscious act and the one fella tells me "it's alright, they were parking wardens anyway". Busted a gut. Finished the rest rest of the joint peacefully....tasted great and the buzz was a creeper....a few more of James' fine coffee's and we puffed LittleD's hasher. Nice and high after that. I ask if I may take a photo inside the shop, not to include anybody other than LittleD and I, not only is it cool with everyone but James strolls out from behind the counter and I have a photo of him and I together. We roll a mix of the two, say our goodbyes....with promises of returning....and head out. It's about 2:30pm, we're both fairly high, we have a plan and we have the ACD Coffeeshop map. Up the canal, through the RLD, hang a left, cross Damrak and it's on the left. 420/Kuil. Well it might be there but, we certainly weren't. Turned a street to soon we discover, wonder if that mixed joint we discreetly puffed on the way was any help? Found it.
Two lovely looking ladies were serving coffee and bud and both turned out to be nice. I amble to the bud bar and get 2grs Blueberry and LittleD gets 2grs of 420 Kush, a couple of coffees, ask the tobacco policy and we are rolling joints in 420.... The Blueberry was very sweet smelling and I was exceptionally buzzed when it was butted out in the ashtray. We puffed one of the Kush but, I couldn't tell you what it was like...just that I was clued to the chair for a while. More coffees, roll a mix of the BB and Kush and we're off. A couple of lefts, half a joint and I believe I can smell the cheese. We walk into HGF. Good tunes, don't what was on, just says 'good tunes' in notes. Friendly bud tender. We get 2grs Cheese, 1gr Sour Diesel, 2grs Silver Pearl and 1gr Jack between LittleD and I. The place is almost empty at this time and we grab hot chocolates and dig into our new purchases. I rolled a large pure cheese (on the recommendation of Stuart1976, nice one Stuart) and have no notes after that point. LittleD says we puffed two more, one of the Silver Pearl and one Jack. I do not remember leaving HGF but do remember the walk, which took us to Kadinsky's where we got 1gr Bubble gum and 2grs Moroc Brown. Friendly bud tender but tiny place. Puffed one of the hash and headed back to the hotel, which was just around the corner, to check-in.
Had a nap.
I'll leave it there for now, this is getting really long.
Keep on writing, can't wait for more! What a great way to start your journey, James must be one hell of a fella, should he be added to Amsterdam tourist guides as well? 
, then it was off the menu on a later trip !