DAY 8 (Sunday July 15th):
Finally got a full day’s break from working, so I slept in until at least 10:30. By the time I was showered and out of the room, I had missed breakfast at the hotel.
I had plans to visit a new part of Amsterdam on this morning so I hit a sweet little bakery on Nieuwendijk for breakfast on the go and ate it while I was walking.
I headed west across the Singel and on to the Haarlemmerstraat. I kept heading west, destination Westerpark. I avoided the temptation to pop into any of the numerous coffeeshops that I saw on the way, I was focused on getting all the way out to Westerpark before it started raining again.
By the time I made it all the way down to the Haarlemmerplein it had in fact started to rain pretty hard
, so I took shelter under the Haarlemmerport and just took in the sights and sounds of this part of the city. Eventually the rain lessened and I crossed over the canal and entered Westerpark.
This is a special little park, no where near as large as Vondelpark, but as a result a lot less crowded, especially on a misty Sunday morning. A very peaceful spot for a contemplative walk and a toke, enjoying the green all around me as well as the green in my joint.
Spent around 45 minutes walking through the park, and was ready for a coffee and a proper smoke. So I decided to call in on one of my favorite shops to visit on a Sunday morning, Paradox. I finished my circuit of the park and then walked back out to the Haarlemmerplein, caught the #3 tram for a quick jaunt down Marnixstraat, hopped off at the Marnixplein stop, and from there took a nice leisurely stroll through the most beautiful part of Amsterdam, the Jordaan.
Eventually I found my way to Paradox, entered around noon to find a sparse crowd, with one or two other folks sitting at tables and the super tall Dutch guy (I think his name is Ludo?) behind the counter. He greeted me as I approached the counter and I had a look at the menu. First things first, two of your fine space cakes
alstublieft. As he went in the back to retrieve those I looked over the weed selection. When he returned with the cakes I inquired about the “finger hash” that I’d read so many good things about on this forum, but sadly it was “all finished my friend.”
He recommended I give the “wash hash” a try instead so I picked up a ½ gram bag of that at 13 euros as well as a nice little bag of Chocolope at 12euros/gram. Also ordered a cappuccino and while Ludo was making that I grabbed a table near the door and settled in with my purchases. Skinned up the chocolope while I enjoyed my coffee. The smoke was very smooth and this particular phenotype seemed to have more of a body stone this time. I’d rate it a 7.5/10. I sat and enjoyed the smoke, my coffee, and the overall peaceful vibe of this great shop. Just a few locals reading the paper and some lovely classical music playing on the stereo. If you’ve never visited this shop you are missing out and I highly recommend you put it on your list.
After chilling here for a while, I realized it was time to head over to Homegrown Fantasy for the TnT that was arranged by Mr and Mrs Woodenhead. When I arrive they were already there at a table with Gapie and Treetop. I sat down and we commenced to smoke pretty much everything in sight from bongs and joints having a great time and enjoying sampling all kinds of weed and hash provided by everyone.
Weed n’ Hash mix:
Gapie Toking away on the Roor at HGF:
After a few hours of smoking (and waiting around while Mrs. Woodenhead made a round trip to the hotel) we decided to introduce the Woodenheads to Utopia. So we packed up and made our way across Newzidjs Vorburgwaal and entered the shop. Nel was working and he greeted us warmly. This time around I opted to try the Honey Haze at 13 euros. Gapie rolled it into a nice joint for me and we continued the smoke-a-thon. The honey haze had a very nice flavor and a clear and strong Sative high. I’d rate this one a solid 8.5/10…my notes just say “Loved it!”.
After all that smoking I was ready for a little chill out in my room so I said farewell to Gapie, Mr. & Mrs Woodenhead, and Treetop, promising to meet everyone at t’Nes later for more fun. After a brief nap at the hotel I was ready for some food so I hopped a tram down to Spui, and from there on foot to the world famous Vleminickx for some tasty frites. The line was long but manageable, the weather was sunny for a change, and I enjoyed chatting with others as I waited.
The fries were indeed great and would rank up with some of the best Belgian style fries I’ve had…were they the best ever? Not sure, but definitely worth a visit if you are in that area. Also there is a fantastic ice cream shop just around the corner in that same neighborhood which I hit up after I finished my frites. Well fed, I was ready for more smoke, so back on the tram to the Dam and then a short walk over to t’Nes. I saw Gapie and Mr & Mrs W actually on the way out, they were in search of food so I continued on to Nes and met up with Bleak and DC inside. What followed was a classic “mega-session” on the Volcano, the following combustibles were consumed in short order:
1) Golden Haze
2) Super High Rise
3) Dog Kush + Wash Hash
Dog Kush + Wash Hash Volcano Bowl:
At this point Balou appeared and joined us for a few bags, followed shortly thereafter by the return of Gapie with Mr. & Mrs Woodenhead. Yet more bags were consumed, including Champagne Haze (Club Media) and Grey Haze (Grey Area). While we were smoking I mentioned to Gapie that I’d never smoked a “tulip” joint….he immediately took this as a challenge and built a lovely tulip for us made from a mix of Honey Haze (Utopia) + Amnesia Gold (unknown shop) + Grey Haze. The tulip burned super nice, and it was a true work of art by Gapie.
My notes end here, probably because I was so blazed I could no longer write.
Thanks to Balou, Bleak, Gapie, Mr & Mrs W, and of course our WONDERFUL host DC for a great time that evening.
