Brad Piff wrote:Hope you enjoy reading...
Disclaimer: Due to high THC content and incessant smoking, I may and most likely will, forget some coffeshops visited and strains purchased while writing this completely from memory.
Prologue:
Ok, Mr. Piff is originally from NYC but currently working in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the weed situation is pretty nonexistent, to say the least. Having gone cold turkey for approx. six months without smoking (last time was in NY), I have been mentally preparing to get completely obliterated by Amsterdam weed, which is why I have perused through the travelogues on this site and researched into the various types of strains and coffeeshops so I would be better prepared to face my forthcoming state of inebriation and just being high as $#%& for the next 10 days. Now I have been to Amsterdam 3 times prior, all on layovers for a few hours each and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent there so I decided to finally go and experience actually living in the Dam.
Day 0:
So my gf and I hop on our charter bus from St. Petersburg, Russia to Helsinki, Finland. After quickly passing through border control into the EU (but no before purchasing 3 duty free beers) and a total of 5 uneventful hours of dozing of in the backseat of the red Renault minibus, we finally make it to the polished Helsinki airport – one of my favorite airports – quiet, no people/no delays, efficient, comfortable benches to sleep on. Anyway, we get there at around 1 am with 6 hours to go before the flight departs. Found some free benches, drank a few Finnish beers and tried to keep my eyes closed in a futile attempt to sleep while reading ACD here and there to pass the time.
Day 1:
Time to board and at this point, Im pretty much somnambulating onto my KLM flight. Sit down, blah, blah…buckle up, coffee, crappy sandwich …. the usual flight routine and 2 and a half hours later we are landing in Schipol to an overcast morning at 8 30 am. Alighting from the plane, I grab my bag and with your typical stoner’s arrival grin at Schipol airport, I run off to buy train tickets. I’ve done this before, so we get on the right train. Gotta say that I really like the efficiency of the transportation system in the Netherlands, where even the buses have free Wi-Fi! It is a quiet and comfortable ride which gives great views of the blooming flowers and the verdure that has covered the Holland landscape. The train finally stops at Central Station and after I successfully restrain myself to push every commuter, children and elderly folk alike, aside and jet to the nearest coffeeshop, I walk outside at a leisurely pace while sporting a huge grin. I tell my gf to hurry up since I’m very dehydrated at this point and in dire need of a joint.
First plan of action is to go drop of the bags at our apt. which is conveniently located in the thick of things, on Harlemstraat. Speed-walking to the beginning of Harlemstraat, I spot coffeeshop
Picasso so I tell my gf to go in with the bags and wait while I get the keys and a gram, but not necessarily in that order. So I ask the budtender for something mild and she recommends the
White Widow (9/g ?).
White widow from Picasso - sry for crappy pic
Grabbed a grinder from the BT and rolled a small, introductory white widow joint. But before I could light it, our host calls and says I can pick up the keys. Got the keys, and back to Picasso where my gf, who doesn’t smoke, has been passively inhaling fumes for at least 7 minutes now. Picasso is your basic shop, small but cozy, has a great view of the bustling Harlemstraat and offers relatively inexpensive weed. Feeling really anxious to unload all of our belongings, we leave Picasso and go to our new home. The apartment is great with a roof terrace that gives a great 360 view of Amsterdam. Now that’s cool and all but my joint is not gonna smoke itself. To be honest, I could not tell you how the WW tasted because I haven’t smoked in a while and but it definitely smelled like weed and it got me totally ripped since my tolerance was zero. No time to waste, we go back out and hop into Jay’s Juices for a breakfast mango concoction smoothie.
Next stop:
Voyagers, which is now open. We get to the front door and are welcomed by the new sign and a dude with dreadlocks (HighlyBlessed I assume) who immediately asks for ID so I show mine and then asks for my gf’s ID, which she says she doesn’t have. So he politely asks us to leave. Already out the door, she realizes that she actually does have her passport on her (see: passive smoking in Picasso) so we go back in. Planning my order for months, I already know what to get: 1 gram of
bio lemon haze (12/g) and a wild card gram of something that caught my eye (and nose) – the
blue cheese (14/g?) and a coffee. Buy (drink) and fly, and we head out back towards Harlemstraat. On the way I pop into a shop to buy a grinder for 5e and some raw papers. We take a different route through the center, passing Central coffeeshop, and soon after I spot
420 Café which I heard so many good things about so I pop in before my gf has any time to object. The lady budtender, who looks very familiar, shows me the menu and having already bought a haze, I opt for the
NYCD (12/g?).
Sour Diesel from 420
I exit the shop to see my gf staring at me like I’m a crack-fiend with that face that all girls make to let you know that they do not approve. Anyway, we get back to our place, I proceed to roll up the lemon haze and smoke (half) the j because I’m still blitzed from the white widow. Again, I can’t really tell how the weed tastes yet, but that will change as I get back into the groove. Nevertheless, it all smelled amazing; especially the blue cheese which had a strong fragrance of blueberry, lemon, pine and cheese…but that will be set aside for the nightcap.
Just chilled at the place and enjoyed the view of the city from the roof until 3pm after which we were supposed to meet our friends (a couple) that are visiting Amsterdam for two days. After a few frantic “where are you now” type texts, we spot them walking aimlessly down Harlemstraat, after which the usual handshakes and hugs are exchanged.
Greenhouse Lounge is right down the block so, as the most knowledgeable about weed and Amsterdam, I point everyone in that direction.
Harlemstraat
We saunter in and I notice that im walking on water like jesus, but no, its just the aquarium with goldfish swimming under the floor. Group mentality takes over and they girls run downstairs and pick a table in the dark backroom even though I wanted to sit by the open entrance – don’t even care, Im high and just seen nemo swimming under my feet, should I smoke more? Well yea, we go upstairs and buy a gram of
Amnesia haze (14/g?) and my friend gets the
Super Silver Haze (14/g). I roll the silver haze and we, except my gf, all smoke. Voila, the weed worked and at this point im high like a condor so the immediate plane of action is to get out of this dungeon for some fresh air and food.
The rest of the day is hazy and just resulted in a lot of walking, sightseeing, waiting 2 hours on line for a canal boat tour and going to an Indian restaurant which had the most delicious tandoori fish. Get back to my place, light a J of some blue cheese, from voyagers and pass out.
It must be noted that the whole couple-couple arrangement, especially when no one really knows the city yet, is really not a good idea in terms of coordination and organization. We spent half the day deciding what to do, where to go, waiting in line etc. Still, Amsterdam is awesome.
Bonus pics:
Jordaan
Canal near Siberie coffeshop
Day 2 to be continued….
