I'm Sorry for the delay between installments, but I have been a bit under the weather.<<<
Hope your feeling better.
Thanks for the interesting report.
10 Days In A "Daze" May/25 - June/04
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smokestaxlitenin
- Posts: 632
- Joined: Tue 3rd Jun 2008 10:11 pm
- Location: South Florida
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geekymonkey
- Posts: 1913
- Joined: Thu 16th Jul 2009 04:01 pm
- Location: Adrift
10 Days in a daze (continued)
Day 1 (continued).
EXTREME
White Widow 8.00 per gram
As I walked toward Golom (Ale Pub) I realized that I was close to Extreme Coffee Shop, a shop that I had wanted to try, so I made my way down there. I was greeted by a friendly young Lady who suggested the W.W., so I bought a gram for 8.00. I sat down and tried that with some Mannali Cream from Kashmeer. I got into a nice conversation with the Bud Tender. She is a College student from Portugal living in Amsterdam. we discussed a book she was reading about the Global economy. By now the W.W had kicked in and it's wasn't too bad, the Mannali was nice as well. I smoked a little more and decided to finally get that Beer.
I walked over to Golom which is a very well stocked Beer and Ale house. I had a list of Belgian Ales that I wanted to try and they had a lot of them. I asked for one of them, then I grabbed a stool as some one vacated. I got into a nice conversation with some Americans who where traveling throughout Europe. I ordered another fine Ale as I chatted with a Guy from New York. This pattern continued as I went through three more lovely Ales. By now the 9 to 11& alcohol level of these Belgian Ales was getting on top of me a bit. It was time to balance the buzz out with Weed!
NES
I made my way over to Nes and found a stool at the bar. I asked the Bar Tender for a La Chouffe. I asked if D.C was there, he said he would be down soon. In the mean time I loaded up my Pipe with some Mean Green and some Turkish Hash from Paradox just what I needed. Than a guy came over a introduced himself as D.C. He bought me another La Chouffe and I gave him some of my Mean Green to roll up. By now I was not to fussy about what combination that I was smoking so I loaded up a little of every thing. I showed D.C my Stash, a pretty good hall eh!
For those of you who haven't been to Nes you have to check it out! D.C is quick witted, funny guy and a good host. A few other patrons came over and we all had a pretty good time, at least I did. We talked until closing time. I finished off my beer and a few more Hash garnished Sage and Mean Green bowls, said my fair wells, then attempted to walk toward my Hotel. It's a dam good thing that I knew my way back, because I was bouncing off walls like a Pin Ball. I some how made it right back to my Hotel, walked up the worlds steepest steps and hit the sack and snooze land at the same time. That was just my first day and I had packed in a weeks worth of activities, Wow!
I'll have day 2 for you soon.Cheers!
EXTREME
White Widow 8.00 per gram
As I walked toward Golom (Ale Pub) I realized that I was close to Extreme Coffee Shop, a shop that I had wanted to try, so I made my way down there. I was greeted by a friendly young Lady who suggested the W.W., so I bought a gram for 8.00. I sat down and tried that with some Mannali Cream from Kashmeer. I got into a nice conversation with the Bud Tender. She is a College student from Portugal living in Amsterdam. we discussed a book she was reading about the Global economy. By now the W.W had kicked in and it's wasn't too bad, the Mannali was nice as well. I smoked a little more and decided to finally get that Beer.
I walked over to Golom which is a very well stocked Beer and Ale house. I had a list of Belgian Ales that I wanted to try and they had a lot of them. I asked for one of them, then I grabbed a stool as some one vacated. I got into a nice conversation with some Americans who where traveling throughout Europe. I ordered another fine Ale as I chatted with a Guy from New York. This pattern continued as I went through three more lovely Ales. By now the 9 to 11& alcohol level of these Belgian Ales was getting on top of me a bit. It was time to balance the buzz out with Weed!
NES
I made my way over to Nes and found a stool at the bar. I asked the Bar Tender for a La Chouffe. I asked if D.C was there, he said he would be down soon. In the mean time I loaded up my Pipe with some Mean Green and some Turkish Hash from Paradox just what I needed. Than a guy came over a introduced himself as D.C. He bought me another La Chouffe and I gave him some of my Mean Green to roll up. By now I was not to fussy about what combination that I was smoking so I loaded up a little of every thing. I showed D.C my Stash, a pretty good hall eh!
For those of you who haven't been to Nes you have to check it out! D.C is quick witted, funny guy and a good host. A few other patrons came over and we all had a pretty good time, at least I did. We talked until closing time. I finished off my beer and a few more Hash garnished Sage and Mean Green bowls, said my fair wells, then attempted to walk toward my Hotel. It's a dam good thing that I knew my way back, because I was bouncing off walls like a Pin Ball. I some how made it right back to my Hotel, walked up the worlds steepest steps and hit the sack and snooze land at the same time. That was just my first day and I had packed in a weeks worth of activities, Wow!
I'll have day 2 for you soon.Cheers!
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Dr Greenshed
- Posts: 387
- Joined: Tue 24th Mar 2009 02:45 pm
- Location: Weed centraal
hope your feeling better soon 10 days in a daze (continued)
DAY2
Holy crap! I woke up pretty hungover from all the Belgian beers that I consumed the night before. I had some breakfast then went right back to bed. I was not quite at the point of "hulling" but very close. That put a damper on my A.M plans. I got up again at about 1:00 pm, cleaned up and headed out to the firt shop of the day. I stopped by G.A but I didn't feel like dealing with the crowd. So, I walked up to Anyday.
ANYDAY
Jamaican High Grade 8.00 per gram
I had a look at the Jamaican High Grade. It looked a little nicer then most outdoor grown Weed that I have seen in Amsterdam. It smelled pretty nice, so I bought a gram. I have read a lot of posts about this weed, mostly positive. So I squeezed up the spiral steeps to the "Verdamper" room to give it a go! I loaded up a large bowl and put it on the "Verdamper". For those of you who haven't tried these things consider checking them out. They Look like Scientific Glass instruments crossed with a Bong. Some of them deliver more smoke then others, though. The smokey ones get you more fucked up, so choose accordingly. I gave the J.H.G several tries and tried to evaluate it. It was pretty subtle. I tired a few more bowls but, frankly, I wasn't getting high enough. I loaded up some of the Nevilles Haze from Chapiteau. That was an improvement for sure. Then I tried some of the K.O Kush from 1e Hulp. This stuff was a bit of a letdown, the Bud Tender really" talked it up" but it really wasn't that strong. Oh well, it was only 8.00 per gram, I can always use it as a bed for Black Hash. So, by now it was late afternoon,
I made my way back down the steps and on to Harrlemerstratt. I looked in Popeye but I didn't buy anything. I had so much Gear already, I thought something would have to really stand out to buy it, nothing at Popeye seemed to speak to me, better move on.
By now I was hungery so I walked over to Wok to Walk. I had read a lot of good things about this place. When I got there was a long line. I went ahead and waited, got my food and ate about half of it. It had a bad tast to it. By the time they put my food in the Wok there had been about 20 other orders mixing in the same rancid grease. Sorry Wok to Walk devotees, but this kind of sucked! I was close to 420 so I went in there to have a look.
420
New York City Diesel 13.00 per gram
I had looked at the SS haze and the N.Y.C.D the night before they both looked good. I decided to buy a gram of New York Diesel and asked to use the "Volcano". While I was waiting for that to heat up I smoked a bowl of the S.A.G.E from Soft Land. That hit pretty good, not overly strong, though. I tried a couple of "Volcano" bags of the N.Y.C.D. Ii was pretty nice. The second best Weed purchase so far after the "Mean Green". I sat there for a while and tried to listen to the music, it was still barely audible. I don't hear to well any way but I think they turn it down so the masses don't have to listen to that crap. I love it! I Vapped another bag of the Diesel and took off.
I went back to my Hotel to rest up a bit, still not feeling that "chipper" from last nights festivities. And by the way, it was well worth it. After I rested up, I went to Extream Coffee Shop to smoke some more of the Diesel along with some Manali Jungle from Paradox. That was a nice combo. Then I went to Kol I Noor for some Indian food, that's a good place.
After I ate I headed over to Warmerstratt to check out Hunters. I asked the Bud Tender if they Had Sour Diesel. He said that they where out. What! No Cheese at H.G.F and no Sour D at Hunters! What is this town coming to. So I ordered a Coke Lite and sat down and smoked some of my Stash, Cheese, B.B Cheese N.Y.C.D and Warm Ears. I finished my drink and headed down Warmersstraat to check out more shops.
STONES CORNER
Casey Jones 14.00 per gram, ouch!
This was my first time in Stones Corner, it was a lot smaller then I thought it would be. I had a look at the Menu and they had Casey Jones. I had read a lot about this strain. With Train Wreck and Diesel as the Parents this should be a good strain. I sat on one of the little stools and loaded my Pipe with the C.J, quite a few times. Frankly, this stuff did not manage to cut through the buzz that I had from the other stuff that I had smoked at Hunters. So, I added some Diesel and zwarte Hash to the bowl and that climbed over the C.J. Don't waste your money on this one folks. I read that the C.J at Grey Area was "killer", I wish I would have bought that instead. I smoked a little more at Stones but I wasn't digging the "Vibe" so I decided to make my way back down Warerstratt.
Now it was time to have a little "hair of the dog that bit me" so I headed to Golom. The place was crowded, so I had just one Belgian Ale and headed for Nes.
I found an empty stool at Nes, I ordered a Gulpner and took out my stash. A nice young Woman from Ireland was sitting next to me and spied my stash. I showed her the Diesel and offered her some of it to roll up. By now D.C came down he bought me another Gulpner and I showed him some of my wares. He didn't try any the "Weed Fairy" would be arriving soon. so he was holding out for that I think. I Loaded my bowl with some more Diesel with some Temple Ball from Chapiteau and some Jamaican from Anyday. I had a nice conversation with the young woman about her adventures in the U.S. She seemed to like the Diesel as well. I was going to catch an early Train to Antwerp the next Morning, so, I finished my Beer and said my fair wells. Then I headed back to my Hotel and "snooze land".
I will have Day 3 for you soon everybody. Cheers!
Holy crap! I woke up pretty hungover from all the Belgian beers that I consumed the night before. I had some breakfast then went right back to bed. I was not quite at the point of "hulling" but very close. That put a damper on my A.M plans. I got up again at about 1:00 pm, cleaned up and headed out to the firt shop of the day. I stopped by G.A but I didn't feel like dealing with the crowd. So, I walked up to Anyday.
ANYDAY
Jamaican High Grade 8.00 per gram
I had a look at the Jamaican High Grade. It looked a little nicer then most outdoor grown Weed that I have seen in Amsterdam. It smelled pretty nice, so I bought a gram. I have read a lot of posts about this weed, mostly positive. So I squeezed up the spiral steeps to the "Verdamper" room to give it a go! I loaded up a large bowl and put it on the "Verdamper". For those of you who haven't tried these things consider checking them out. They Look like Scientific Glass instruments crossed with a Bong. Some of them deliver more smoke then others, though. The smokey ones get you more fucked up, so choose accordingly. I gave the J.H.G several tries and tried to evaluate it. It was pretty subtle. I tired a few more bowls but, frankly, I wasn't getting high enough. I loaded up some of the Nevilles Haze from Chapiteau. That was an improvement for sure. Then I tried some of the K.O Kush from 1e Hulp. This stuff was a bit of a letdown, the Bud Tender really" talked it up" but it really wasn't that strong. Oh well, it was only 8.00 per gram, I can always use it as a bed for Black Hash. So, by now it was late afternoon,
I made my way back down the steps and on to Harrlemerstratt. I looked in Popeye but I didn't buy anything. I had so much Gear already, I thought something would have to really stand out to buy it, nothing at Popeye seemed to speak to me, better move on.
By now I was hungery so I walked over to Wok to Walk. I had read a lot of good things about this place. When I got there was a long line. I went ahead and waited, got my food and ate about half of it. It had a bad tast to it. By the time they put my food in the Wok there had been about 20 other orders mixing in the same rancid grease. Sorry Wok to Walk devotees, but this kind of sucked! I was close to 420 so I went in there to have a look.
420
New York City Diesel 13.00 per gram
I had looked at the SS haze and the N.Y.C.D the night before they both looked good. I decided to buy a gram of New York Diesel and asked to use the "Volcano". While I was waiting for that to heat up I smoked a bowl of the S.A.G.E from Soft Land. That hit pretty good, not overly strong, though. I tried a couple of "Volcano" bags of the N.Y.C.D. Ii was pretty nice. The second best Weed purchase so far after the "Mean Green". I sat there for a while and tried to listen to the music, it was still barely audible. I don't hear to well any way but I think they turn it down so the masses don't have to listen to that crap. I love it! I Vapped another bag of the Diesel and took off.
I went back to my Hotel to rest up a bit, still not feeling that "chipper" from last nights festivities. And by the way, it was well worth it. After I rested up, I went to Extream Coffee Shop to smoke some more of the Diesel along with some Manali Jungle from Paradox. That was a nice combo. Then I went to Kol I Noor for some Indian food, that's a good place.
After I ate I headed over to Warmerstratt to check out Hunters. I asked the Bud Tender if they Had Sour Diesel. He said that they where out. What! No Cheese at H.G.F and no Sour D at Hunters! What is this town coming to. So I ordered a Coke Lite and sat down and smoked some of my Stash, Cheese, B.B Cheese N.Y.C.D and Warm Ears. I finished my drink and headed down Warmersstraat to check out more shops.
STONES CORNER
Casey Jones 14.00 per gram, ouch!
This was my first time in Stones Corner, it was a lot smaller then I thought it would be. I had a look at the Menu and they had Casey Jones. I had read a lot about this strain. With Train Wreck and Diesel as the Parents this should be a good strain. I sat on one of the little stools and loaded my Pipe with the C.J, quite a few times. Frankly, this stuff did not manage to cut through the buzz that I had from the other stuff that I had smoked at Hunters. So, I added some Diesel and zwarte Hash to the bowl and that climbed over the C.J. Don't waste your money on this one folks. I read that the C.J at Grey Area was "killer", I wish I would have bought that instead. I smoked a little more at Stones but I wasn't digging the "Vibe" so I decided to make my way back down Warerstratt.
Now it was time to have a little "hair of the dog that bit me" so I headed to Golom. The place was crowded, so I had just one Belgian Ale and headed for Nes.
I found an empty stool at Nes, I ordered a Gulpner and took out my stash. A nice young Woman from Ireland was sitting next to me and spied my stash. I showed her the Diesel and offered her some of it to roll up. By now D.C came down he bought me another Gulpner and I showed him some of my wares. He didn't try any the "Weed Fairy" would be arriving soon. so he was holding out for that I think. I Loaded my bowl with some more Diesel with some Temple Ball from Chapiteau and some Jamaican from Anyday. I had a nice conversation with the young woman about her adventures in the U.S. She seemed to like the Diesel as well. I was going to catch an early Train to Antwerp the next Morning, so, I finished my Beer and said my fair wells. Then I headed back to my Hotel and "snooze land".
I will have Day 3 for you soon everybody. Cheers!
Awesome read.
We are thinking of hitting Atwerp as well, looking forward to hear what you have to say.
Last year we only hit Haarlem and the Hauge and regretted not getting out to more towns as those were some of the best adventures.
Going to do Rotterdam and Haarlem for sure as well this summer.
We are thinking of hitting Atwerp as well, looking forward to hear what you have to say.
Last year we only hit Haarlem and the Hauge and regretted not getting out to more towns as those were some of the best adventures.
Going to do Rotterdam and Haarlem for sure as well this summer.
Once In A while You Get Shown The Light
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TwoCanucks
- Posts: 4736
- Joined: Tue 10th Feb 2009 01:03 am
- Location: Amsterdamage
Interesting about the CJ, never tried it myself, but I thinks I'll steer clear.<<<
Not me, it is on my short list, but ill be getting it from Grey Area or Bij.
You never know, could of been a crappy batch.
I know everyone talked up the "bas special" last summer, and to us it was the biggest disapointment of the trip, again probobly not a great batch.
Not me, it is on my short list, but ill be getting it from Grey Area or Bij.
You never know, could of been a crappy batch.
I know everyone talked up the "bas special" last summer, and to us it was the biggest disapointment of the trip, again probobly not a great batch.
Once In A while You Get Shown The Light
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geekymonkey
- Posts: 1913
- Joined: Thu 16th Jul 2009 04:01 pm
- Location: Adrift
Thanks again Cal for your great report. I had kind of wanted to try the casey from grey area, and maybe will at some point. Nice to know that I shouldn't necessarily just buy it anywhere.
You frequent different shops than I do, so this is such a fun look at some different places!
You frequent different shops than I do, so this is such a fun look at some different places!
Because life is too short to smoke bad bud.
10 Days in a daze (continued)
DAY 3
I got up early and made it to Central station before 8:00am to catch a train to Antwerp, Belgium. I caught the train, no problem but half way through the 2 hour trip there was a problem. The Train Conductor, if that's what you call them in Europe, said my ticket was no good. I bought the ticket a few days before and it was supposed to be for a specific time going open ended returning, wrong! According to the Conductor the dates on the ticket where wrong; certainly not that I could tell as I can't read Dutch very well, but the dates looked right to me. So, she said she would allow me to get to Antwerp at no cost but I would have to pay for another return ticket, which turned out to cost me 29.00 Euro. Ouch! Well, I could see that pleading my case was not helping the situation, so I chose to just "eat it" and let it go!
I decided to enjoy the country side and the cities that we went through, it really was quite lovely.
We pulled into Antwerp at around 10:30 am. The Train station is a combination of very old and contemporary design styles, very unique, and large. I asked for a map at the visitor center, then walked out to the busy Diamond district. This is a really active city with people of all walks of life in abundance. In the U.S most people don't even know that Antwerp exists yet that it is a thriving Diamond and Shipping center.
My first stop was going to be the home of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, now a Museum. I was an Art Major in College so I have a passion for Flemish Paintings, especially the 15th century "Primitive" Painters, this is one of the best cities to view that stuff. Besides the Rubens house, I had planned to visit the Mayer Van Den Berg Museum and the Royal Museum of Art as well. I also wanted to see the old city center, at least what was left after the Nazi Bombings during WW2. I know that was going to be a lot of Area to cover so I was wasting no time.
The lady at the Visitors Center told me that I could visit both the Rubenshuis and the Mayer Van Den Bergh Museum for 6.00 Euro., I thought that was a pretty good deal. I went to the Rubenshuis first.
You could get a fairly good feel for how Rubens lived in his luxurious digs, for the 17th century anyway. The Art was not just his, but some of his contemporaries as well. It contains mostly lesser works but it was still interesting and the building is very nice..
From the Rubens house I waked down to the Mayer Van Den Bergh Museum, or, attempted to anyway! This is a very confusing city. Like Amsterdam, one street can have a different name every two blocks and then it runs into a hub that splits off in several directions. After asking directions a few times, I finally found the Museum. Most people in Antwerp speak English very well, I wasn't sure if that would be the case and every one that I encountered was quite friendly as well!
The Mayer Van Den Bergh is a very special little Museum. It houses a nice collection of regional artists and a room full of Bruegle's. Pieter and his sons and grand son. Talk about "Fantasy" painting before it's time, these are some really nice pieces. I stayed there a little more then an hour then it was time to eat. I am Diabetic, I cant really miss meals without paying a price, (a low sugar "Whitey"), so I headed out toward the city center in search of some chow!
I could see the Massive Onze Lieve Vrowe Kathedeal, (a huge, old Church), in the distance. I used that as guide to make my way to the old city center. I found a nice Wok shop so I sat outside in the square and watched the throngs of people, while I ate my Chicken with rice. The Architecture in this city is more French influenced then that of Amsterdam. You don't see the gabled roof's or orange tiles. There are no Canals, or at least not any that I saw. There are a lot fewer bikes too, but a lot of pedestrians. It's a lovely vibrant city, really!
I finished my meal and headed toward the last Museum of the day. It was 2:30 and the Museum closes at 5:00. I was going to catch a Tram but I was making good time walking I chose to hoof it to the Museum. I got to the Royal Museum of Art a little before 3:00PM, that gave me 2 hours to look at paintings. Wow! I was kind of blown away by this Museum. It has some real treasures of Flemish Art. It also has a very large collection of James Ensor's paintings. He was a Post Impressionist along with VanGough, not as well known. I examined every painting in that Museum and stayed untill they closed the place.
I had looked at some fantastic Art and Architecture, now it was time to get some beer! I had read about a famous Belgian Ale Pub called the 'Kulminator". It looked like it was on a straight path back to Central Station. I started down the street that looked like it went right to the "Kuminator", wrong! I ran into a hub and chose the street that looked like it was the right one. None of them had the street name that I was supposed to be on. Anyway, I didn't really know where the fuck I was! So asked a shop clerk and he gave me some confusing directions. I gave up again and asked a Bar Tender. His directions where just as confusing. I kept checking my map and I couldn't find one of these streets on the map, I wasn't even high! Finally I could see the Gigantic Cathedral in the distance, now I knew what direction I was going. By now I was tired of walking, so, I gave up on my "World Class Beer Drinking Extravaganza" and headed to the Station to catch my 7:00 Train.
I made it to the station with plenty of time to catch my Train. The ride back took about 2 hours. That gave me time to reflect on a fantastic day of looking at top quality Art and discovering a wonderful City.
The train got into Amsterdam a little after 9:00 pm. I walked down to my favorite Curry shop on Spui and had dinner. After the meal, I thought it was High time to get High, excuse the pun. I was close to Amnesia so I thought I would give that place another go.
AMNESIA
G13 Haze 13.00 per Gram, (10.00 to much).
I had tried the Honey B during my last trip, I liked that, but the Bud Tender was pushing the G13 Haze it. It looked pretty good but it was pretty pricey at 13.00. I hadn't bought anything that day, so I tried it. I asked to use the "Volcano" so the Bud Tender gave me all the parts that I needed. I hadn't used one of these thing by myself before so I asked another Bud Tender for some assistance. The guy had an "attitude" and kind of "shamed" me. Fuck that! I finished my Vapo Bag and the G13 Didn't do much, so got out of there.
SOFTLAND
Amnesia Haze 13.00 per gram, (9.00 to much).
I headed back down Spui and stopped in Softland. I thought I would have a look at the Amnesia Haze. I liked the S.A.G.E that I bought there on Monday so I thought the A.H might be good as well. It was loaded with crystals and looked like it was better cured then 420s A.H, so I bought a gram. I sat down and tried the Amnesia Haze, and tied it and tried it again. Oh no! I've made two bad Purchases in one night. Both Hazes looked good but in the end they where both sub par. I really didn't like the "vibe" in Softland, either, so I got out of there.
EXTREME
Cheese 8.00 per gram
During my last 3 trips I had never tried this shop. It is now one of my favorites! It's a real "chill" kind of place, with nice Bud Tenders and good products. The Bud Tender from Portugal was there that night. She strongly suggested the Cheese. I bought a gram. Wow! I think this stuff is good as the Cheese at H.G.F was a few years ago. It has the "Cheesy" smell and taste and a Sativa dominant Buzz with enough of a body stone to notice. This is really good Cheese. It's one my favorites of the trip so far, right behind the Mean Green. I smoked a few more bowls of that and had a nice conversation with the Bud Tender. I think her name is JoAnna, she is a very smart and nice young Woman. I enjoyed the conversation and the Vibe of the Shop but I decided to try another shop, so, I headed out not really sure what shop I would try next.
ABRAXIS
John Sinclair 14.00 per Gram, (yes, you read that right, but it was worth it).
I have never cared to much for Abraxis, but when I saw the sign for it I remembered the good things that I read about the John Sinclair; so, I popped in to have a look. It smelled and looked great so I bought a gram. It looked like the Bud Tender gave me more then a gram, thank you sir! I sat at the bar and fired this stuff up. Wow! This is some good shit. It has the whole package: smell, Taste, Lung Expansion and a powerful Sativa dominant high. This is the best Weed of the trip so far, and well worth the 14.00 per gram. I sat there for a while then mixed in some cheese with the J.S, very nice. Well it had been a long, but rewarding day; so I headed back to my Hotel and "Snoozeville"
More to come, Cheers
I got up early and made it to Central station before 8:00am to catch a train to Antwerp, Belgium. I caught the train, no problem but half way through the 2 hour trip there was a problem. The Train Conductor, if that's what you call them in Europe, said my ticket was no good. I bought the ticket a few days before and it was supposed to be for a specific time going open ended returning, wrong! According to the Conductor the dates on the ticket where wrong; certainly not that I could tell as I can't read Dutch very well, but the dates looked right to me. So, she said she would allow me to get to Antwerp at no cost but I would have to pay for another return ticket, which turned out to cost me 29.00 Euro. Ouch! Well, I could see that pleading my case was not helping the situation, so I chose to just "eat it" and let it go!
I decided to enjoy the country side and the cities that we went through, it really was quite lovely.
We pulled into Antwerp at around 10:30 am. The Train station is a combination of very old and contemporary design styles, very unique, and large. I asked for a map at the visitor center, then walked out to the busy Diamond district. This is a really active city with people of all walks of life in abundance. In the U.S most people don't even know that Antwerp exists yet that it is a thriving Diamond and Shipping center.
My first stop was going to be the home of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, now a Museum. I was an Art Major in College so I have a passion for Flemish Paintings, especially the 15th century "Primitive" Painters, this is one of the best cities to view that stuff. Besides the Rubens house, I had planned to visit the Mayer Van Den Berg Museum and the Royal Museum of Art as well. I also wanted to see the old city center, at least what was left after the Nazi Bombings during WW2. I know that was going to be a lot of Area to cover so I was wasting no time.
The lady at the Visitors Center told me that I could visit both the Rubenshuis and the Mayer Van Den Bergh Museum for 6.00 Euro., I thought that was a pretty good deal. I went to the Rubenshuis first.
You could get a fairly good feel for how Rubens lived in his luxurious digs, for the 17th century anyway. The Art was not just his, but some of his contemporaries as well. It contains mostly lesser works but it was still interesting and the building is very nice..
From the Rubens house I waked down to the Mayer Van Den Bergh Museum, or, attempted to anyway! This is a very confusing city. Like Amsterdam, one street can have a different name every two blocks and then it runs into a hub that splits off in several directions. After asking directions a few times, I finally found the Museum. Most people in Antwerp speak English very well, I wasn't sure if that would be the case and every one that I encountered was quite friendly as well!
The Mayer Van Den Bergh is a very special little Museum. It houses a nice collection of regional artists and a room full of Bruegle's. Pieter and his sons and grand son. Talk about "Fantasy" painting before it's time, these are some really nice pieces. I stayed there a little more then an hour then it was time to eat. I am Diabetic, I cant really miss meals without paying a price, (a low sugar "Whitey"), so I headed out toward the city center in search of some chow!
I could see the Massive Onze Lieve Vrowe Kathedeal, (a huge, old Church), in the distance. I used that as guide to make my way to the old city center. I found a nice Wok shop so I sat outside in the square and watched the throngs of people, while I ate my Chicken with rice. The Architecture in this city is more French influenced then that of Amsterdam. You don't see the gabled roof's or orange tiles. There are no Canals, or at least not any that I saw. There are a lot fewer bikes too, but a lot of pedestrians. It's a lovely vibrant city, really!
I finished my meal and headed toward the last Museum of the day. It was 2:30 and the Museum closes at 5:00. I was going to catch a Tram but I was making good time walking I chose to hoof it to the Museum. I got to the Royal Museum of Art a little before 3:00PM, that gave me 2 hours to look at paintings. Wow! I was kind of blown away by this Museum. It has some real treasures of Flemish Art. It also has a very large collection of James Ensor's paintings. He was a Post Impressionist along with VanGough, not as well known. I examined every painting in that Museum and stayed untill they closed the place.
I had looked at some fantastic Art and Architecture, now it was time to get some beer! I had read about a famous Belgian Ale Pub called the 'Kulminator". It looked like it was on a straight path back to Central Station. I started down the street that looked like it went right to the "Kuminator", wrong! I ran into a hub and chose the street that looked like it was the right one. None of them had the street name that I was supposed to be on. Anyway, I didn't really know where the fuck I was! So asked a shop clerk and he gave me some confusing directions. I gave up again and asked a Bar Tender. His directions where just as confusing. I kept checking my map and I couldn't find one of these streets on the map, I wasn't even high! Finally I could see the Gigantic Cathedral in the distance, now I knew what direction I was going. By now I was tired of walking, so, I gave up on my "World Class Beer Drinking Extravaganza" and headed to the Station to catch my 7:00 Train.
I made it to the station with plenty of time to catch my Train. The ride back took about 2 hours. That gave me time to reflect on a fantastic day of looking at top quality Art and discovering a wonderful City.
The train got into Amsterdam a little after 9:00 pm. I walked down to my favorite Curry shop on Spui and had dinner. After the meal, I thought it was High time to get High, excuse the pun. I was close to Amnesia so I thought I would give that place another go.
AMNESIA
G13 Haze 13.00 per Gram, (10.00 to much).
I had tried the Honey B during my last trip, I liked that, but the Bud Tender was pushing the G13 Haze it. It looked pretty good but it was pretty pricey at 13.00. I hadn't bought anything that day, so I tried it. I asked to use the "Volcano" so the Bud Tender gave me all the parts that I needed. I hadn't used one of these thing by myself before so I asked another Bud Tender for some assistance. The guy had an "attitude" and kind of "shamed" me. Fuck that! I finished my Vapo Bag and the G13 Didn't do much, so got out of there.
SOFTLAND
Amnesia Haze 13.00 per gram, (9.00 to much).
I headed back down Spui and stopped in Softland. I thought I would have a look at the Amnesia Haze. I liked the S.A.G.E that I bought there on Monday so I thought the A.H might be good as well. It was loaded with crystals and looked like it was better cured then 420s A.H, so I bought a gram. I sat down and tried the Amnesia Haze, and tied it and tried it again. Oh no! I've made two bad Purchases in one night. Both Hazes looked good but in the end they where both sub par. I really didn't like the "vibe" in Softland, either, so I got out of there.
EXTREME
Cheese 8.00 per gram
During my last 3 trips I had never tried this shop. It is now one of my favorites! It's a real "chill" kind of place, with nice Bud Tenders and good products. The Bud Tender from Portugal was there that night. She strongly suggested the Cheese. I bought a gram. Wow! I think this stuff is good as the Cheese at H.G.F was a few years ago. It has the "Cheesy" smell and taste and a Sativa dominant Buzz with enough of a body stone to notice. This is really good Cheese. It's one my favorites of the trip so far, right behind the Mean Green. I smoked a few more bowls of that and had a nice conversation with the Bud Tender. I think her name is JoAnna, she is a very smart and nice young Woman. I enjoyed the conversation and the Vibe of the Shop but I decided to try another shop, so, I headed out not really sure what shop I would try next.
ABRAXIS
John Sinclair 14.00 per Gram, (yes, you read that right, but it was worth it).
I have never cared to much for Abraxis, but when I saw the sign for it I remembered the good things that I read about the John Sinclair; so, I popped in to have a look. It smelled and looked great so I bought a gram. It looked like the Bud Tender gave me more then a gram, thank you sir! I sat at the bar and fired this stuff up. Wow! This is some good shit. It has the whole package: smell, Taste, Lung Expansion and a powerful Sativa dominant high. This is the best Weed of the trip so far, and well worth the 14.00 per gram. I sat there for a while then mixed in some cheese with the J.S, very nice. Well it had been a long, but rewarding day; so I headed back to my Hotel and "Snoozeville"
More to come, Cheers