Didn't go to the Dam (went The Hague, Delft, Haarlem).

[archambaut]

OK, title follows on from my 'before' thread:

https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14255

and will be made in a series of gripping installments, as I piece
together the memories.

I had planned to also hit Leiden and Texel, however, there was so
much to see and do I scrubbed those missions, they will have to be
next time.

OK< so here goes

Took the overnight ferry to Hoek Van Holland, very nice even had cabins,
though I don't generally sleep well when travelling, which meant I pitched up
in NL at 8am, with only a 40 min journey to Den Haag. Since my hotel
wouldn't let me check in until 2pm, I had some time to kill.

After getting my bearings, a coffee and cigareete, sorting out a baggage
locker (my debit cards works for these at main staitons), I socerd me a
OV-chipkaart, and headed off back out to Delft on the train. Idea was to
grab a few hours photography, some lunch and hit my first coffee shop
before heading back to check-in around 2pm.....

[archambaut]

Although I had been to NL twice before(pre the Euro), once to the Dam, and
once to Maastricht, I have never visited a CS, mostly because the peeps I
was with ere work colleagues and I already knew how their tongues could
wag, and I just didn't fancy my employer being armed with such knowledge.

Truly paranoid, I know, but then only the paranoid survive (who said that?).

In addition, I have been 'abstaining' for the last few months, so my tolerance
was likely to be low to zero.

[archambaut]

Delft is a charming little city, like a mini-Adam. Nice narrow canals, closely packed
gabled medieval and golden age houses, two churches, one of which played tunes like a musical box.

This I found pleasant, for the first fifteen minutes, but by the time I was nearing the main square, I was considering without a trace of guilt, just how much C4 it might take to shut the ting up permanently.

Bought an ice in a shop on the main square, according to the girl, the clock
goes on almost the whole day - perhaps I already have found an accomplice

By now it was getting sunny and hot, and I was getting a bit fed up of the
over-cutseiyness of the place.

Not that it is unpleasant, it's just felt like the Euro-Disney team had taken
over management of the town centre and it felt a little too charming for comfort.
(Back home, old buildings are old, and are left to look that way, not usually
gaily painted and cleaned, even if that is how they were originally kept).




'Delft canal, suspiciously clean'

Hey ho, wandered about a bit, snapping photos, looking for the tourist office
(for a map), then for something nice to eat.
There only seemed to be herring stalls and expensive looking cafes, so I
kept going, until I happened upon de Vlouw.

This is allegedly the only real CS in Delft, i.e. with seats, drinks,
smoking bit etc. So after almost a nanosecond of thought, I decided
to go in....

[archambaut]

So in I go, buzzer and turnstile on the door, but opened as as soon as the
oldish budtender saw me.

Wander up to bar, trying to look like I had done this before, and asked for
the menu. Mentioned I didn't want anything too strong, he pointed at Thai,
then up to White Widow - that's the strongest I have'.

Ok, I ask for the Thai (6E/1.5g - cheap, so I thought it can't be too strong).

Also noticed Lebanese hash on the menu, but decided to wait before picking any
up - we used to get this stuff back in the '80s and I have fond memories of it.

Also order a coffee, and head off to the back for a smoke. In the back are a few
tables, pinball and TV screens. I decided to roll a mixed joint, quite weak.
The Thai smelled the part, spicy and earthy, like old school weed used ta.

I rolled what I thought was a mild j, and torched up. After a few mins,I let if
go out to see the effect. On the large table near to me were some young rakes,
skinning up, and trying to play pinball. The machine appeared kaput, so the
budtender kept coming through to fiddle with it.

I began to feel a little uncomfortable perched up on a highish chair visible
from all sides and from the front bar, so I decided to finish the J and get out.

Bad idea, as I smoked bravely onthe weed started to hit me, it was a bit of a
creeper, and just seemed to get stronger. I remembered at this point that I hadn't
had lunch, and had been running around with more or less luggage since 8am. It was now
12.30, and low blood sugar was starting to kick in.

I also remembered, just after consuming the last of the j, that I had had about 6
hours sleep in the last 36, and was shortly hit by a sugar low, and immense fatigue.

I sank back in the chair, watching some cable show about marine animals(?).
No that was no good, so I leande forward and just rest my head in my hands.
Oh no, I think I'm going to have a whitey......

So I spend the next couple of hours trying to pull myself together, thinking
the follwing thoughts:

i) I'm knackered and need to sleep now;
ii) I'm stoned and paranoid and can't move;
iii) All my vitals, money, docs etc, are with me, and
could be removed from me with zero resistance (and probably a meek smile);
iv) I'm in a foreign(ish) country, and my hotel is not in this towm;
v) not good;
vi) go to i);

Occasionally, the budtender would wander by and I would raise my head and
nod to him as he passed, trying to give the impression everything was just
fine.

The young rakes were getting rowdier, and I really didn't want to be in
there right then. Although they didn't even recognise my presence, let
alone act aggressively, I just didn't feel comfortable right there and then.
(I was later to realise how much more polite and civilised all Dutch folk are,
even the youths).

A new, younger bud tender came on shift, who took a couple of looks at me
and showed up with a bottle of sugary fruit gunge (HighAA).
I took it gladly (on the house - they probably wanted me out of there
by then), and the sugar hit did the trick.

Within 10 minutes I had gathered myself and my belongings and was
heading, humbly, for the door.

One last obstacle, the turnstile only turns one way, so you have to step through
in a weird contorted dance to get out. Waved cheerio, and staggered off towards
the train station.

How embarrassing, over 25 years on the weed, and floored on my first visit to a CS.

Still, I learned to keep the sugary stuff around, and not to underestimate the
strength of the dope.

Somehow found my way back to Den Haag,t ram to hotel and checked in about 4pm.
The lady on reception showed me to my room, said some stuff and went.

I crashed - end of first day.

[archambaut]

Woke up around 8.45am the following morning, grey and
rainy outside.

Too late for breakfast, so I inspected my room.
Nice, big window, ground floor, double room facing
to the back, with shower sink, bog.

Well appointed, but not cheap, especially since I had
hummed and aahed about doing this trip since late spring,
and managed to book everything at short notice in the peak
holiday season.

However, there was a private terrace/garden, with table
and chair and.....ashtray!!

So the ganja gods were on my side after all, yay.

Sit outside smoke a fag, pondering how foolish my
actions had been the day before, and figuring out
what to do with this day.

Needed:

Morning ablutions, food (brunch by now) and
stuff to drink and munch whilst wandering
around town and finally some kind of plan....

[hestia]

[hestia]

[archambaut]

45 mins later, and I'm ready to rock. Head out of the hotel
into a fresh grey and slightly damp morning. I am facin a little plaats,
lined with trees , fountain in the middle. Couple of old ladies with shopping
and a pigeon or two. Cool.



'The hood'


Tram line running north south, stops at end of the street

Turning easty, and walking down a suburban shopping street I find a Co-op, so
score munchie gear, and some more HighAA gunge.
I have never seen this stuff in the UK, and the list of ingredients
seems to be sugars of various kinds, fruit flavouring, colouring
and possibly some fruit juice.
It is horrendously, almost nauseatingly sweet, but does perform
miracles with tired legs and shoulders, and the taste
washes away with a schluck of water.
I had a bottle of this stuff with me.for the whole trip.

[archambaut]

Wandered about the neighbourhood a while, and found a nice cafe, where I
consumed one espresso, one very nice omelette and a pot of strong black tea.

Whilst there, I quizzed the waitress about the OV card - I couldn't figure
out whether to check-out/check-in when changing trains during . Sadly, she
wasn't Dutch either and couldn't figure it out.

The heavens had opened by then, so I scuttled from doorway to doorway until I
got to the tram stop, by which time the sun was on its way out. Caught the
tram to town to be near the Escher Museum, but ended up back at Centraal
Station. Since the weather was brightening, I decided to walk the rest of the
way.

First impressions of Den Haag are now beginning to improve. Well, I don't
actually remember much about the impression I got yesterday, but this felt a
whole lot better.

Unlike Delft which sees like a museum that happens to have people living in it,
Den Haag is a more bustling living kind of place that happens to have some old
buildings and nice museums. They are also heavily into public art, which is
lying around all over the place, and some quite avant garde architecture.



'Not everyone's cup of tea'

As Dutch cities go it is also quite green, with parks hidden away in the most
unexpected of places, and deer living within 100m of the main station.

Wandered back toward where I thought I might have to be, snapping more photos
and generally feeling 'this is a cool place'

[archambaut]

If you are into Escher, you'll have a complete frotfest in this place.

Just about every work he ever did is here plus a whole lot of interactive
stuff, and to top it off, set in a former royal palace. Just spend the money
and go there.




'Escher example'

[archambaut]

So, suitably fed, watered and mind blown, I decide to head off and
sample some of Den Haag's CS. Wandering around behind the Escher Museum,
around Dennenweg, there are two or three CS listed, of which I chose The
Crow. At the moment it is under refurbishment, so stop and go service only.

Guy on the counter was friendly enough, got some Utopia Haze (10E/g) and some
Polm Super (10E/g). Apparently the Utopia is the same as Amnesia, just
'different taste' Oh well, I haven't tried amnesia anyways, so I'll give it a
go. Plenty other places carry amnesia...

Wandered off towards the Hofvijver, passing more public art along the way.



By the Hofvijver,is the Binnenhof (Dutch Senate) and the Mauritshuis (another
museum), and on the bank of the lake a massive exhibition of seriously good
widlife photography. Took loads more photos before hopping on to the tram,
cackling, to head back to the hotel to roll a few js.

[gsutoker]

enjoyed the read so far. the only reason why i clicked no in the poll was because i had a bad experience there last year.... someone stole my glasses

[archambaut]

'The Crow: Utopia Haze 10E/g'

I have no idea what genetics this could be, except perhaps it may contain some haze.
I considered grilling the budtender, but realised he could tell me anything he liked.
You know, he could say it is some wierd mutation formed when a bean accidentally fell into a glass full of Jimi Hendrix's tears or Tommy Ching's scrote sweat.
None of us are equipped with a MJ DNA database and sequencing kit, so we can hardly call them out.

Bottom line - is it any good? Answer, yes. In fact I found this one of the more
pleasant weeds to smoke, nice tasting, but with some head high, and doesn't
put you off walking around.




'The Crow: Polm super Haze 10E/g'


Likewise, this, though a little pricey, was very nice Moroccan type has. Nice stone,
relaxed, but not couchlock. Again, good walking about gear.

Ok, that's enough verbal diarrhoea for now, next gripping instalment tomorrow.

Laters

Arch

[archambaut]

enjoyed the read so far. the only reason why i clicked no in the poll was because i had a bad experience there last year.... someone stole my glasses

Bummer.
As one who is shortly going to run out of armslength for reading,
I will soon be adding glasses to the list of essential things I can't afford to
lose abroad - not cheap to replace either.

I think I'll get a pair on a bit of string round my neck, who cares
if I look like an old fart..., certainly not me, I'll be on the inside
looking out

Still, stay tuned, maybe the bad memory will fade....

Arch

[puffpuffgive]

dude, SO awesome trip report & pics. hilarious whitey description. thanks for postin, looking forward 2 the rest!