Tuesday 22nd April 2025 - Haarlem
We're back in Puccini again for breakfast and then on to Siberie, where we find AzLaker, Choppermike and Ghost. They tell us that Bedge and Jamie Dodger left for home just before we got here. Only AzLaker joins us for our day excursion to Haarlem.
Our recent trips to Haarlem have tended to focus on Willie Wortel's Indica and/or Birdy so this will be the first time I've been into the centre for many years. Our first target is Empire.
Empire
I buy some Dreambro's Dreams Gold and then we're joined by Job from nearby Kruidenier. We have a chat over our coffees and then Job introduces me to the owner of Yanks in Zandvoort, who's just walked in. We all discuss beach bars and other stuff.
Next we take a short walk to take a look at Kruidenier.
De Kruidenier Cannabis Takeaway
Kruidenier is very much just a takeaway so there's nowhere to sit down and check out the goodies. There is a nice display of bud tubs and an impressive array of edibles arranged in glass cabinets so that the place looks like a sweet shop or bakery!
On the wall there is this amazing piece of artwork depicting the history of Netherlands coffeeshop culture. I love stuff like this. Here is a small part of it:
Having taken a few photos, we move on again. We start strolling down the main road heading vaguely in the direction of
Regine but we're distracted by a nice view towards the Grote Markt down a side street. That's enough to make us change course so we head that way instead.
There's a big Ferris wheel set up in the square and we find a nice spot beside it outside a bar called Brinkmann. The sun is shining and we're buzzing so beers go down well.
Messages go out to anyone wishing to join us in the sunshine and soon locals Bruce Van Dam from Haarlem and Rob_OG from Zandvoort roll up to the party.
Moving on again we pass
Greengrocers and
State of Mind on our way to Maximillian.
Maximillian
I love the sign outside. No euphemistic 'coffeeshop' here. In hempcity Haarlem they say it how it is. I like to think this is Nol's (late owner of the Willie Wortel chain) influence.
Inside, I'm thrilled to find a Volcano, just waiting for me to come and play with it.
The sun is still shining and I'm captured by this vision of AzLaker's shirt.
Much as I'm enjoying the Volcano session, it's time to return to Amsterdam. On the train back, conversation turns to dinner. A devious plan pops into my head. AzLaker had previously expressed a desire to re-visit De Pizzabakkers, after we ate at their Haarlemmerdijk branch a couple of years ago. I've been craving a ferry ride so I suggest we take a trip over to the NDSM from behind Centraal Station, because there's another Pizzabakkers right by the terminal over there.
The sun is getting low in the sky as we sail across the IJ. One of the ferries by the Pontsteiger tower is on another route to NDSM that we've used in the past to get to Baba (now Plug).
Audlembabe gets in touch so we suggest she hops on the next ferry and catches up with us, which she duly does. Suitably pizza'd up, we head back to Centraal and then into The Tribe where we catch up with the rest of the gang.
The Tribe
This our last night in town and several of the crew have already left so the remainder of us settle in for a serious session.
Got a few hours in town tomorrow before we set off too...
unfortunately we are booked up 6 weeks before 420 - bad planning on my part…..
Fantastic 
