It was fantastic, the city is absolutely beautiful. The shopping districts are like any other major city but once you get out of that and beyond the RLD, its just absolutely stunning. I was constantly in awe of the architecture and the culture that exists there.
If I'm being totally honest I can't really remember all of the coffeeshops that I visited but I'll try my best and give a verdict on them.
The minute we got there we wanted a smoke and didn't really care where we got it from so we found a coffeeshop that was very near our hotel (the crown). I was on the same side as the hotel and I have no idea what it was called, My mate bought 3 grams of northern lights. Was alright actually.
Then went to Greenhouse Effect, I bought some Jack Herer and an excellent espresso. I liked the vibe of the place although the "bouncer" seemed a bit angry.
We then went to Funny people (didn't like it) and The Grasshopper for a beer. I like The Grasshopper for the size of it but it was way overpriced.
As I write this I'm reallllly struggling to remember the shops we visited in order so I'm going to give up trying, I really wish I'd taken a few notes at least. So I'm just gonna give you my highlights.
Basjoes is an awesome coffeeshop. We spent at least 3 hours a day just sat outside watching Amsterdam happen in front of us and I can say without a shadow of doubt that it was my favourite coffeeshop. We bought a gram of Bas Special and 2 grams of White Widow. The both tasted and smelt amazing and the Bas Special knocked us out completely.
Other highlights included 4.20 with its selection of tea at a very reasonable price. We also enjoyed Feels Good as it became our "local".
Also went top Grey Area and Rokerij. They were both really nice shops. We caught Grey Area perfectly as 2 minutes after we sat down it was completely full and people were scrabbling for chairs, had 2 grams of L.A Confidential.
All in all I'd say we visited around 10-15 coffeeshops. I wish I could remember them all so I could give a verdict but my mind is shot to bits.
Also should say that the beer is amazing in Amsterdam, other than real ales the selection of beers in bars in Britain is awful compared to that of Amsterdam.
The trip wasn't without its issues however, bare in mind that it was 4 students on a very tight budget we all totally underestimated the price of things over there. I know the £ is shocking at the minute but every was SO expensive. We all completely blew our budget within the first day really.
One final point which is what I will remember the most from Amsterdam is how completely stunning the girls are. Not in the RLD but just generally. They are completely stunning.
Overall I LOVED my first trip to Amsterdam, it took a while to get used to, especially the way the Coffeeshops work but once I'd got my head around it it just felt so natural and easy. It makes me wonder why other countries don't adopt a similar policy.
I shall DEFINITELY be going again and now my ambition in life is to become a session jazz drummer in Amsterdam
