Not going to the Dam

[archambaut]

Going to The Hague and probably Leiden, Delft Haarlem and weather permitting, day out to Texel, Mon to Fri next week.

Would appreciate any info about these places- coffee shops, safety, good places to visit etc.

Previously been to the Dam (20 yrs ago) and Masstricht (15yrs), but never visited a coffee shop - even though I've been a stoner on and off (mostly on) for most of my adult life..

Aim is to see a few cities and some other places - rather than just sit in a coffee shop, but nevertheless, it is going to be on the menu.

First post, so expecting to be flamed...

arch

P.S. Anybody know if it possible to load up OV-chipkaart with cash.
Anonimity considerations aside, I don't think my credit card is on the list of accepted ones, and I'm a bit iffy about sticking my debit card into 'foreign' machines.

[StonedSince67]

welcome to the forum arch

First post, so expecting to be flamed...

it's not like that here at the acd forum thankfully ...

have a great trip ...

ps my visa debit card works fine

[Balou]

Welcome to ACD You can get the Anonymous OV card. They charge 7,50E for the card and is valid for 5 years. Netherlands as whole for the most part is very safe. Just use a little street smarts and you should have no problems. As far as coffeeshops check out the Coffeeshop Reviews board, there is a member in Leiden that has posted a few reviews. BTW the shops on Leiden don't open until 18:00 I think, The Directory at the top of the page might have some of the hours posted.

Peace,
Balou

[archambaut]

welcome to the forum arch

First post, so expecting to be flamed...

it's not like that here at the acd forum thankfully ...

have a great trip ...

ps my visa debit card works fine

Thx.
Good to know the visa works, though the curmudgeon in me
objects to sleepwalking into the cashless society.
One of these days, that piece of plastic might be the only alternative.
One stone-headed moment of carelessness and you're screwed

Hoping the weather picks up a bit, or the entire trip might have to
be spent in the CS...

Arch

[archambaut]

Welcome to ACD You can get the Anonymous OV card. They charge 7,50E for the card and is valid for 5 years. Netherlands as whole for the most part is very safe. Just use a little street smarts and you should have no problems. As far as coffeeshops check out the Coffeeshop Reviews board, there is a member in Leiden that has posted a few reviews. BTW the shops on Leiden don't open until 18:00 I think, The Directory at the top of the page might have some of the hours posted.

Peace,
Balou

Thx - suitably disturbed avatar BTW.
Arch

[Trad]

Hello and welcome to the forum archambaut.

"Hoping the weather picks up a bit, or the entire trip might have to
be spent in the CS...

Arch"

And this is a bad thing ????????.....

[hulldj]

Sounds like you got a fair bit of top travelling planned there mate.

On the debit/credit card thing, have a look at Travelex Cash Passport... http://www.cashpassport.com/

If your local Tesco has a Travelex branch instore, as quite a few do, you can get more details on loading fees ect. I do know that it is free ATM withdrawals.

Have a right good time..

[archambaut]

Thanks for all the replies so far - more welcome.
I'm starting to think I won't fit everything in,
which is a shame, but let's see.

Priority list:
Den Haag - also want ot see the beach (around sunset for photography)
Haarlem - because of the CS reviews
Texel - this will take a whole day.
Delft/Leiden - may have to skip Leiden

Arch

[bleak]

Delft

T'Keldertje have great weed, usually best in Delft in my experience, although its only buy and fly.
https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/Keldertje.html

Theres a Greek place on the main square that make amazing gyros!

For drinking check out Bebop, opposite T'Keldertje. its a jazz bar with an amazing selection of beer. They also have an outdoor smoking area when its warm enough, I've smoked weed there plenty of times.

[Marco]

Texel is great, I just got back from there. You will have to pick and choose where you want to go in one day. Amazing large beaches with large 'lakes' of water behind it, nice for pictures. There is a seal rescue/museum called Ecomare which I do not recommend for one day, it sort of sucked.

I think you will have to get around by bus, unless you want to rent a bike.

Have lunch in Den Burg it is really nice.

No coffeeshops on the island that I could see. I would not smoke on the street there, tons of families. And finally, watch out for the German tourists.

[archambaut]

Texel is great, I just got back from there. You will have to pick and choose where you want to go in one day. Amazing large beaches with large 'lakes' of water behind it, nice for pictures. There is a seal rescue/museum called Ecomare which I do not recommend for one day, it sort of sucked.

I think you will have to get around by bus, unless you want to rent a bike.

Have lunch in Den Burg it is really nice.

No coffeeshops on the island that I could see. I would not smoke on the street there, tons of families. And finally, watch out for the German tourists.

Cool, thanks for that - it's a fair way (2 hours on train) and I'll need an early start.

I was planning on hiring a bike (note to self, get travel insurance ), doing
lunch somewhere then heading for the dunes.

I don't think I'll be able to cover much more than that. Want to get back to Den Helder for evening smoke and meal, then get a lateish train back.

If you've any recommendations for the southern half of the island, I'm all ears.

Cheers
Arch

[Marco]

Texel is great, I just got back from there. You will have to pick and choose where you want to go in one day. Amazing large beaches with large 'lakes' of water behind it, nice for pictures. There is a seal rescue/museum called Ecomare which I do not recommend for one day, it sort of sucked.

I think you will have to get around by bus, unless you want to rent a bike.

Have lunch in Den Burg it is really nice.

No coffeeshops on the island that I could see. I would not smoke on the street there, tons of families. And finally, watch out for the German tourists.

Cool, thanks for that - it's a fair way (2 hours on train) and I'll need an early start.

I was planning on hiring a bike (note to self, get travel insurance ), doing
lunch somewhere then heading for the dunes.

I don't think I'll be able to cover much more than that. Want to get back to Den Helder for evening smoke and meal, then get a lateish train back.

If you've any recommendations for the southern half of the island, I'm all ears.

Cheers
Arch

We stayed in on the other side, so no real recommendations. The train is less than two hours and leaves every half hour from Central. You need to take a bus from the station in Den Helder to the ferry....10 mins.

[archambaut]

I've been reading a lot of the threads, and discovered the ACD map.
Apparently there are at least a dozen CSs between my hotel and town centre, marvellous

Meanwhile, being old school, I prefer to think in pounds per ounce, so I fogured out the conversion:

price (£.oz) = price (E/g) x 28 x exchange rate (E/£).

So, for an er of 0.83 I see:

E/g................................ £/oz

5.....................................116
6.....................................140
7.....................................163
8.....................................186
9.....................................210
10...................................232
12...................................279
15...................................348
20...................................564 (ouch)

Looks pricey in those terms, hope it's worth it...
(I appreciate there may discounts for buying larger amounts).

Arch

[StonedSince67]

Looks pricey in those terms, hope it's worth it...

but remember that the more expensive the weed generally the stronger, so you may need less of it in any single joint and then it all evens out

I appreciate there may discounts for buying larger amounts.

yeah take advantage of deals when you find them for the smokes you really like

the main goal is to enjoy your visit ... set yourself a budget, start at the lower end and work your way up the scale as you see how things go

ps enjoy your trip

[dude65]

Hey Arch.

About Den Helder: I wouldn't expect any revelations in terms of coffee shops there. When I was there in July, a quick internet search found 3 shops on Koningstraat. The first one was run by an Indian (I think!?) and didn't have anything on the menu that sounded interesting or familiar.

The second shop was also apparently run by an Indian and had something like a living room directly behind the budtender's window. I asked for a recommendation for some knock-me-out weed and he recommended "Russian Diesel". Go a gram to try and left. Didn't have much fun off that stuff.

Had MUCH better luck in Alkmaar. Found some Big Buddha Cheese that had me begging for more.

So, better come prepared for your evening toke in Den Helder