Weekend in the Hague

[Tech303]

Enjoyable report and pictures, thanks for taking the time to post.

[Epsilon]

Musically . We heard lots of Reggae ...It seems someone , somewhere is remaking every song in the BMI catalog
into a reggae song ...These Boots are made for walkin ...Suite Judy Blue Eyes (!!!!) Sgt. Pepper ....even Dylan songs. It goes on and on . Where do these things come from ...I kinda liked Dub sida da Moon ...I think though I'd rather sit in Tweedys and hear the real stufff (while the locals are watching a Steelers game ) ...Leeuwardens CS es had this Soul Music thing ...James Brown , Joe Cocker , the Supremes ...
Hill St . in the morning can be fun ,if you like jazz , played some 30s Louis Armstrong , Miles Davis ....Best Live music we
saw was in Leeuwarden ...they opened up their like 5 year project ...built a bigass stage , and our friend Dan was MC ...
this guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5N4ABpNX4o

they had live music for three straight days ...the boat guys were cool too



oops those got outa sync .... hearing more and more Dutch rap ...and Italian rap even -when the Italian Duo are working at Hill St.




Its all so exotic to me ...If I turn on a radio ; it better be to listen to a Mountaineer game , because otherwise its Rush Limbaugh ,Gospel or Country Music around here ...




at the ferry port in Holwerd, Fryslan

[Smith2]

Great stuff. I'm looking forward to Leeuwarden more and more.

[Colino]

Great stuff. I'm looking forward to Leeuwarden more and more.

+1 you really made me wish going there

[Epsilon]

Here is a map of the centrum area of Leeuwarden ...with the CSes shown as numbers ...We stayed at hotel 't Anker right on the corner with #1 -CS Downtown ...



the train station would be off to the bottom /center ...We've always driven in . But station only a couple blocks out .

The cup winners for LW were "Mona Lisa" from de Zone and CS Libertys Hash Joint ...



Lem - CS Liberty was called Sacramento ...new owner this year ...( #8 on the map )

Don't know about Brits , but they DO like Yanks in Leeuwarden . It seems many Nederlanders have hopes of going to the USA someday . I noticed the young budtender at CS Utoop was wearing an Oakland Raiders cap ...We had a delightful conversation ,I showed him the team website ,and other US sports sites ...there is at least one person in Leeuwarden now who knows who Ken Stabler and Al Davis are ... anyway-if you offered me a weekend in Holland , I would likely pick LW over AMS . Not because of the killer weed , but because its such a pure/ local and friendly scene . I've gotten to know more Dutch people here that anywhere else ....



and one never knows when Mata Hari will show up to deliver enemy troop movement schemes to some French Double Agent



inside CS Downtown ...was in here one rainy afternoon ,and this little dog comes bounding thru ...said hi to everyone and disappeared into the back ,a minute or so later I glanced toward the pool table just in time to see him take a long dump
underneath ...place was busy ...lots of come and go ...wasn't sure of the etiquitte on these things , and apparently I was the only one to witness the event . Couldn't make eye contact with the Babe behind the counter ...she was swamped ...so it turned into a bit of theatre for me ...eventually it was discovered and cleaned with a minimum of fuss ...



drink menu at Utoop ...so different than Amsterdam ...

[/img]

smokes menu at Liberty ...sorry crap pic , but readable I guess ...



next stop a one nighter in Amersfoort

[Smith2]

Amazing prices, and thanks for the map. I'll be staying at 't Anker myself. I take it it's strictly non-smoking?

[Fred]

Thanks Epsilon for taking the time.

You inspired me for my last year trip to Leeuwarden and Harlingen which was great !

Would like to go on the surrounding islands next time...

[treetop]

Thank you for the enjoyable, entertaining, artistic and informative trip report. May take a little trip out there to Leewarden (sp) one day.

[spidergawd]

What a great months travel, thanks for an enjoyable sunday morning read .

[Epsilon]

Ouirdeaux - The Anker apppears to be non-smoking this year ...there IS a cute tabac smoking room for the bar / hotel
guests ...In years past we've asked for and gotten smoking rooms , and toked to our hearts content ,but this year seems to be different ...



They play some serious Billards on that table . We would have a glass of wine there nightly .There'd be all this billiard ball noise , and chit chat .,then I't would go dead quiet ...They'd all gone to the smoking room ...

Our next hotel was this one



the Queens Vorstelik Genieten ( or something like that) ...very quirky ...we got what amounted to a little split level apt.Had to climb a ladder to get to the bed .That worried me , I mean ,you better be careful if you wake up in the midddle of the night ,ya know maybe too much wine ...but they Had a nice inner courtyard ,where we DID
toke up ...I mean there was an ash tray , and nice chairs there ...no one said no ...The staff seemed entirely 20 something Dutch Babes ....another town where they like Yanks . The city itself is nice ,very well preserved GoldenAgeyness and all . Liked the museum . The kind of town that may appeal to Yanks more than Euros who are used to GoldenAgeyness. The CS scene is sparse ...only two in the centrum ...Suncity ( formerly Trenchtown ) has a totally new look from the last time we were here ( watched the Tchechies kick our ass in an '06 World Cup game there ) ...this is where you want to go if you smoke w/ Tabac ...lots of room .
Horizon is mostly for pure smokers . (look for the ass end of the HEMA) ...CS Alem got shut down ,because it was right across the playground from an elementary school ... had no problem driving in ,parking, getting to the Queens ,,,then it was back to AMS to resume kitty duties...



View out the Window of the Flehite Museum ...

S. (whose kitty we tend ) left a museum card . Her description fits de Vrouw . I shelled out the 40 Euro for my own . For the length of time we were there it seemed good to have the option . They're good all over the NL .Also this time a year is a bit rainy . Good to have an alternative place to hang out . My favorite Museum would be the Tropen in Amsterdam ...trippy place ...



I count four Mata Haris and one Serbian Assassin posing as a Papparazzi ....

Had no problems with the car rental thing .We've settled on SIXT as our car rental place of choice . Get the wheels by Centraal Station . Let the GPS get us outa town . Other than 010 when we strictly stayed in AMS ,with a couple train trips thrown in ,we've done the drive Holland thing . Only had 2 problems ...08 or thereabouts a windshield got cracked in Zutphen .Its true though that the credit cards will cover you for certain insurance issues . Yay ...Last year a month after our return we got a freakin Dutch speeding ticket in the mail . Some robo camera or something ...Turns out it WAS our car (Mrs Peel ,last years BMW)
but the date was off ...Ticket was issued two days AFTER we'd returned the car ...Got on the Phone to SIXT ...and the very appealing Dutch Girl voice on the other end said -Oops,we'll deal with it ...and they did ...This years car was nothing special though ...a little Opal ...

Night shot between Nes and Basjoe...

[Epsilon]

Was a good night for pix that night , or maybe it was that funky pipe Gapie & Bleak were passing around at Nes.
waiting for King James and the guys to arrive ...



Funky chairs between CS Happy People & the Tropen ...



There are those in Leeuwarden who say ...it really wasn't her that was shot by that firing squad . They say "It has been
established that she was often seen in the company of HG Wells ,when he was on his Time Machine Book tour "...well
you connect the dots they say

anyway - The End - only so much catharsis one can drag out of a trip report ...see ya next time kitty

[StonedSince67]

anyway - The End - only so much catharsis one can drag out of a trip report ...see ya next time kitty

thanks for your report - full of good info, loads to read and lots of photos to enjoy ... i do like to follow your trips because you get about a bit and i learn lots about the netherlands and get good hints about possible destinations for my travels

i am already looking forward to your next trip ...

ps that certainly is a majestic cat

[CHELSEA_SMOKERS_SOCIETY]

Thankyou again epsilon. Your reports are truelly inspiring.