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I finally have gotten round to posting about my trip last year. I always meant to do it earlier but a combination of different things like time, bad memory etc. got in the way so it was pretty handy that I had written a small diary just to refresh my memory. Nothing too in depth but I have the important points listed. Also just going to put the first letter of my friends names in as I can't be bothered to think up other names.

Day 1:
Saturday 31st July 2010

I'd headed round to my friend N's place the night before to crash with him and his brother A before we went to catch our flight the next day. I woke up pretty early, around 0730 feeling pretty damn excited about what lay ahead, this being my first time going to Amsterdam. Everyone else must have felt the same as they were all up pretty soon after me. A asked me to help him cut his hair into a Mohawk for the upcoming metal festival which I found highly amusing as it was a bit of amateurish due to him being a bit overzealous and starting one side himself. I did my best but alas my best on the other side was a bit shit and I couldn't match it up. He was cool with it though so we didn't have to throw down there and then over who screwed up. Anyway I was getting a paranoid by this point about the flight so fired up the pc to check the airport website but my anxiety subsided when I saw everything was on time.

When we travelled over to the airport we were crammed into N's girlfriends car which made me laugh pretty much all the way there thinking about what people on the outside were looking at. So we said our goodbyes and got inside but being a touch early there was no check-in desk open for our flight giving N and A the opportunity to head for Euros. After using my secret powers of politeness asking an attendant if our stuff was in the way I was informed that there was a queue starting and asked what flight I was on. After hearing my flight number the attendant informed me that this was actually the queue I should be in making us third to be checked-in so we were through really quickly. However A and myself managed to stall us when we got checked before getting to our gate as he had items flagged in our hand luggage. So we're pulled over to the side and our bags are opened, my item is a plastic case which I was using to store some cards so I was waved through and A's was a bit different being an bullet belt for the festival. It must have been five minutes of N and I laughing at him while he was told off then sent away to try and check it in at the check-in desk. We still tear into him about it and probably will till we die. After that debacle everything else went smoothly with our plane taking off on time and landing at 1515 (local time), our bags were out reasonably quickly at the other side and we were off for a train as quickly as we could walk. This is where we had another bit of a failure taking the wrong train and incurring charges but we sorted it out as a misunderstanding which let us dodge a large portion of the fine.




When we finally rolled into Centraal we headed off to meet up with the other two who were joining us, M and R who looked like they'd been sampling some of the city's wares already due to their red eyes and massive grins plastered across their faces. They had gotten into the city just as the coffeeshops opened in the morning so fair play. After a quick call to the Damcity apartments we scooted on over to see the apartment. They really weren't joking about the stairs either and doing them in the dark made it a bit more interesting. The apartment was great and had everything I expected but we had to wait until it was finished as we'd arrived slightly early so we played a few games of magic, got the money and deposit sorted, then dumped our gear and headed for a coffeeshop.


(Loved the view from the apartment)

The Damcity guy also gave us a quick overview of the surrounding area as well as the coffeeshops in the centre of the city, I however had my eye on one place after diligently reading about most of the coffeeshops so we made our way towards Dampkring. When we got there and I hit the bud table I was still in a bit of a daze not really believing where I was until my concentration was broken by the bud tender. The place was busy so I snapped out of it and had a look at the hashes on the menu. I asked the bud tenders opinion and after a wee chat he showed me some of the hashes I might like until I arrived at my decision and purchased some Manali Cream(1gram €16) which I enjoyed immensely, it actually lasted pretty much the whole holiday which was cool.



It was really soft stuff and broke apart with barely a touch. The place was busy and it was late so we went back to the apartment to rest and smoke before hitting our scratchers. From what I’ve written it hit me pretty hard with the high sort of rushing up on me, I usually smoke a small bong and the one I used was a bit bigger so that's probably added to it.

Day 2:
Sunday 1st August 2010

Woke up at around about 0900 after having the most restless nights sleep in my entire life. I'm really not exaggerating either as R had a chest infection that was clearing up and he sounded like a dying walrus. I escaped the torture chamber to go and clean up and eat breakfast before everyone else got up and a queue formed. Once everyone was ready we left at 1100 to hit the shops and get some munchies for the rest of the trip, I found it highly amusing being able to get your morning shop while walking past the windows of the working ladies, then we had lunch when we returned. At around 1530 I led the guys over to The Green Place to check it out as I’d heard some good things about it but when we got there half the menu was gone due to shortages and the guy behind the bar was a bit of a dick telling us to hurry up as it shouldn't be that hard to pick. I was starting to grate my teeth a little but used some patience and got on with it asking him questions about the different weed. R and myself eventually settled on some Strawberry Kush which we both went in half each. It was really tasty and fruity with a nice stone. After purchasing we thought we'd sit out the front and watch the world go past for a bit before moving on but yet again the bud tender was back with his grimace and bad manners choosing to hover next to the front door and watch us until we moved so he and a friend could grab our seats. The Green Place was a nice place but the staff were a joke. I do remember being told about Dutch attitudes but this guy took it a step further and went straight to ignorance without passing go.




We wound our way over to the Abraxas after this when N cited it as a good example of a chilled out place, he was right too as the two chicks behind the bar were really friendly and the bud tender was direct but extremely helpful. The place itself also looked amazing and I liked the electronic display they had for their menu. While here I purchased some Royal Nepal (1g €17) which was the shiniest hash I have ever seen in my life, honestly it was like it had a plastic cover over it.



It smelled very fresh and grassy after it took it apart which was no mean feat as it stretched before snapping. Absolutely packed with oil too as it bubbled up under heat instead of burning straight away. This was a problem for the bong so I rolled a quick two skinner just to taste it and it was divine. Tasted just like it smelled, very clean and fresh is the way I’d describe it, just like inhaling freshly mown grass almost.




Finishing up our doobs we all decided to head over to the cannabis college to have a good look at all the information that they had and maybe find out about stuff we had no knowledge about. The place was well stocked and had loads of interesting displays around the walls as well as helpful and friendly staff members. After donating €3 each we all went down to the grow room to have a look at the stunning range of plants that they had including peyote which I hadn't actually ever seen before.













There was a lot of in depth information about growing down there from nutrients to light set ups etc. and grow rooms at either side with plants in flower and veg stage. A few of us were itching to try the vape after N regaled us with stories of the effect and taste but the staff weren't so enthusiastic till we'd had something to eat. Albert Heijn to the rescue with sandwiches. After being suitably refreshed we went back to try the G13 x Amnesia Haze that R had purchased, that dominated both my taste buds and my mind, which was nice.

I suggest going to Anyday afterwards as I wanted to pop in and have a quick look at the place but after much meandering through side streets and crowds we happen upon Café 420. N and A had been before so with that (and the fact there is classic rock) we head in. The place was extremely chilled out and the music made me relax right in almost instantly,





the Blueberry(1g €8) that I purchased here may also have had something to do with it. Has a very fruity smell and tastes quite similar to it's name, very nice relaxing feeling off of it too.



After hanging out for a while the other guys were eyeing up the brownie that A had purchased at Abraxas earlier so we all decided to head down there and buy one each.

I'd agreed earlier on in the day to make mac and cheese for the guys so back to the apartment to kick things off, munched a bit of my brownie and the buzz crept up on me while cooking so no problem eating all the grub.

We play a few games of magic and I smoke some more of the hash I bought. The Royal Nepal needed a little bit of weed underneath it to prevent it from just sliding straight down through the gauss and only a small spot of it gave off loads of smoke. Time was getting on though so I retired to bed to read before slipping off to sleep.

Day 3:
Monday 2nd August 2010

I woke up at 0845 and was able to sufficiently clear my head to be able to concentrate enough and hear the 0900 bells from the Oude Kerk outside. After a couple of pieces of toast me and R headed off to pick up some soft drinks for everyone and some other things for the day. We had plans to go to the zoo today so I made sure to have some water as the weather was actually nice which threw my body off a bit as it usually had to deal with cold and rain at this time of year. When we returned to the apartment the others had gotten up and wanted to get out to the zoo as soon as.

I enjoyed Artis Zoo and would recommend it if you have time to kill, we spent about four hours there and I took many photos, I especially liked the lemurs who were showing off and sunbathing.

(just a few pics, way too many to stick up here)








After the zoo I directed the guys over to Het Ballonjte as it was pretty close by and I’d heard it was a nice place to go which it indeed was with friendly staff plus nice weed. I bought the Power Plant(1g €8) which had an appropriate smell for its name and a very nice stone too.



We hung out for a bit but the guys who hadn't shopped earlier were now wanting to go and pick up some stuff for themselves.

On the way back we passed by Bluebird so stopped in quickly to have a look and ended up buying some more smokes. I purchased the Poison (1.7g €12.50) which gave me a great buzz the weed itself looking a bit like pollen but more flexible.



The guys got some seats outside but I played on the pinball machine and failed quite epically before joining them to sit and watch the world go by again. In our haste we didn't look at the signs telling people not to roll outside so we were all scolded by one of the staff from the doorway which brought every set of eyes towards us, I couldn't really help but burst out laughing when I saw all the signs just right next to us. After apologising for our stupidity we wrapped things up quickly as hunger was digging in and it was getting into evening time. I smoked quite a lot before going to bed thinking it would probably help knock me out before R transformed into a noise machine again.

Day 4:
Tuesday 3rd August 2010

Woke up just after 0900 after a very good nights sleep having not heard anything all night. I had plans to head to Paradox today for the toke 'n' talk that was arranged, M and N wanted to head over later so it was A, R and myself that made our way towards the meet. I was still finding it annoying to find my way around as I had to keep checking the map every five minutes just to make sure I was still going in the right direction. The other two were joking with me on the way over about my navigation but I did remind them that I hadn't missed a beat so far and had accurately led them to the coffeeshops we wanted, I could hear a voice in the back of my head saying “Famous last words dickhead” but we did make it there fine.



Paradox looks very cool on the inside with art on the walls and a tall smiley Dutch bud tender that recommended the Super Pollen (1.2g €12)



and also got me a fresh glass of orange juice which went well with a few bongs. Mindraker and his missus eventually popped in around 1200 and we got chatting about the usual bollocks like weed laws back in our countries, Amsterdam, games etc. until they decided to head back out into the city. Cheers again for coming Mindraker as it was cool to chat. We headed for Grey Area at 1345 where we squeezed in to find some pretty mighty weeds,



I bought the Grey Haze (1g €11.50)



after debating with R over who would buy that and who would buy the Silver Bubble. The highs weren't too dissimilar but the Silver Bubble had the most intoxicating smell I think I’d ever encountered, I always knew when someone was smoking that stuff. Everyone else always forgot its name and christened it “Silly Bad” later on in the trip which is pretty self explanatory. I also used a kick arse Roor bong when in here which was a thing of beauty and was also a joy to use.

After we'd finished up N asked directions to the Roor shop so we could check out some more bongs. After getting slightly lost we made it there and found some really killer bongs ranging from the €1800+ monsters down to some more normal €70-90 ones. I asked about the website then requested a lighter just to remember the place by and showed off my inner tourist by utterly failing to count out Euros properly.

We vacated the place and made our way up towards Harlemmerstraat to check out Barney's then pop into any other places we might fancy but after getting into Barney's we had to almost instantly about turn due to being ID'ed but R hadn't brought any out with him. This was no problem so we just headed to the Dampkring up here which was pretty similar to the other one so I just bought some Chocolope (1g €10) as I’d enjoyed the bit I’d taken from M when he'd bought his.


It really tasted like sweet chocolate to me which was a bit of a surprise, the stone was good too.

Time was getting on by now so we headed to the shops for something to make for our tea then back to the apartment to look over everything we'd bought. After a while I still wanted something extra to take to Wacken with me plus N wanted to head out to buy some stuff so we scooted out to the Dampkring again and I got some Cheese (1g €10). Tasted just like the cheese back home and had a great effect on me too.

Had to grab an early night to get up for the train to Germany the next day so back to the apartment and into bed.




I felt awful the next day as well which wasn't great when we were leaving as I was staring at my feet sort of willing them on to the station so I didn't really get a great last look. It was pretty much the same when I came back from the festival as we rolled in late so didn't get to smoke myself silly like I’d wanted, but still had some stuff left to smoke in the Flying Pig Downtown so all was not lost.

I really enjoyed my trip there and can't wait to return.

Great log man. These are the ones helping me research and get ready for my first trip on 3.5 weeks. Good pics too!