I’m an old man now so the usual 6am flight gets changed for the more forgiving 10:20 out of Luton and my old tradition of driving and leaving my car in the medium stay to have a smoke walking to departures gets changed to the train, from my hometown right to Luton airports doorstep. So much easier and the way I will always do it from here on out. I have a huge dab and 200mg of edibles before I set off. This will carry me through the airports and to the first coffeeshop. I’ve been having way less dabs this last week to bring the tolerance down a little and I haven’t had edibles for a good while but I need to be toasted when I fly so this is how we go. Train goes swimmingly well, security a breeze and a 20 minute delay is acceptable after the shit show the week before. Finally I’m heading back. Bit of a wait at security on the Dutch side, probably took the best part of an hour with queuing and passport stamp but we’re through and on the train. I have the day pretty much planned out in my head, which coffeeshops I’ll go to first before heading across back to near Sloterdijk to check in, surely nothing could hamper my plan so early on?
As I walk out of Central station I stop for a moment to take it all in again, then that North Sea wind slaps me in the face like a wet fish and I abruptly about turn and go straight back in to the toilets to put my thermals on. Looking at the weather forecast I think the thermals will be needed for the majority of this trip and I don’t really mind that, there’s plenty of places to sit in this city and plenty of new menus to explore. That’s the biggest thing that’s changed since my last visit. The menus are full of new age hash and rosin! I’ve been scouting the menus so already kind of have an idea of what I want over the next few days. Nice Dutch flower, good hash and good rosin. I’m not overly sold on the Cali flower. I’m not knocking it because I’ve smoked some lovely bits over the years, but for what it costs I’d rather put a bit more to it for some nice static/wpff/rosin and mix them with Dutch flower. From what I’ve read on here and seen on social media over the last few years is how much the quality of the Dutch flower has improved as the Cali scene has made the market step its game up/brought in new genetics. It’s a win all round for us as consumers. Legal project has being getting lots of praise too and I’m super keen to get out and try that.
First stop is Greenplace, new menu posted in the days leading up to the trip showed even more static/wpff hashes than the previous. Buy and fly for half gram of the Golden State WPFF (pink gorilla) and half gram of the Doja static (Starlato) Both look and smell great in the tub. I tuck them in the pocket and bid farewell. Onto Barneys in the absolute hope that they have some Grinspoon and they do! A nice new fresh batch that is looking classic Grinspoon. 20€ a gram but 5 for €88 which I take and shuffle off to my next location. I’ve seen on social media that Siberie have posted up some very nice looking water hash (orange crush) and also have Zutopia flower on the menu. The hash is in stock and I take a 1g jar. The flower is sold out and not to return I’m told. I decide just to take the hash as I have the Grinspoon burning a hole in my pocket.
Now I need some rosin. On my last visit I brought a dab rig with me and ran around for half a day trying to find a blow torch. This time I’ve brought my trusty pen. I seen on YouTube about a year ago, a dude called Eric Khan said really good things about the Yocan Orbit as a budget travel pen, I bought one as a little back up and came to love it’s simplicity and function. Two pre heat cycles and it hits like a train once you get used to it. I snagged a brand new one in the weeks leading up to this visit for £20 and having used one for a good while already, I know it will hold up well. I head to 7th heaven first and grab a gram of the hash burger. The menu is fantastic but I’m sold as soon as I get a nose of that one. It’s absolute gmo funk and that pretty much always means good power with rosin. It’s not a strain that I’ve ever tried in flower (GMO) and I’m not sure I’d want to. It’s definitely a unique terp profile that is quite enjoyable from a rig but I can imagine the flower being LOUD and quite marmite? I planned on staying for a dab but it’s rammed in there and I make a move.
At this point I really need to have a dab and smoke a fatty. I plant myself canalside between a load of parked bikes and get the pen out. The sky is threatening but no water is falling at this point and the bikes provide a decent enough wind block. I drop a glob of rosin in and hit the blinky whilst preparing a rolling paper/coughing my plums off and deciding which hash to use, opting for the pink gorilla amongst a bed of Grinspoon. I tell myself that as my dab tolerance will use this joint as a warm up that I should stick the whole half gram of hash in, what could possibly go wrong? After I’ve managed to sort the mess that is my resin battered fingers (with no iso to hand) I manage to light up my first doob in a long time. Well, it absolutely fucking melts me and I just keep walking and walking, no map or bearing, just floating along on a magic carpet that hand rails the canal system. The doobie smokes fantastically well though, the flavour and thickness of the smoke is amazing, the hash smelling more like a good extract and the flower burning absolutely super with that classic old school Grinspoon flavour. Plans for food and check get completely binned for an hour or so and I wake up from my zombie like march at Haarlemmerpoort, the first being I’ve recognised for the last hour. I take a photo and phone my Dad because it’s what I always do when I see an old building. I kind of wake from my stupor here and revert back to my original plan of food and check in, after quickly swinging back to Drewissharing for some Nomad710 rosin. Quite disappointing that there are only a few to choose from and I planned on taking a couple but I opt for a gram of the Moroccan peaches which is a strain I had yet to try. Good nose, drier more crumbly texture the hash burger and a terp pearl nestled in there which is a Nomad trademark (I have that green pearl in my rig now at home) I load up a glob in the pen and chill for a second with a Fanta Cassis. Decide to ask if they have any nice new hash in and I’m shown some blue cookies static from Golden State. I grab a half gram and head off for food, ending up with two Febo burgers and a metro heading west. Hotel New Kit is my home for the next couple of days, located about 1km south of Sloterdijk and with good links to the excellent public transport, it will suffice and I must say it feels completely different to the medieval thin walled rooms I’m used to staying in at the centre. Sound proofed room and big TV. Kettle and comfy bed, not that I’ll spend much time here. Definitely a good experience and a hotel I will visit again.
Quick check in. Rolled a little bat of Grinspoon and orange crush to smoke up before the metro and stood in a nice little spot that would become my sheltered friend for the next couple of last smokes before bed. You can take the metro north to Sloterdijk which takes about a minute, and then hop the train to central, or you can take the metro for central which takes about 25 minutes. I opt for the latter as it’s been a while and it will be nice to see the city. It’s drizzly and a bit gloomy at this point but I absolutely don’t care, I’m here! I get off the Metro at Central and then hop on another to Nieuwmarkt. I really love the public transport in this city and my old left knee really appreciates it too. Quick walk to Bagheera. Disappointingly no rosin but some very nice looking flower on display. El Trumpo from the hybrid menu turns out to be one of the best of the trip and a repeat purchase. Reminds me of a nice sfv OG I smoked some years back and comes very pretty with a perfect cure. The Blue Nerdz from the sativa menu also comes very nice and mixed with their papaya static hash, had me nicely crispy as I sat there enjoying life. I’m hungry now and want smash burger. I decide to try Bulldog Palace as although I never buy flower in their shops, I’ve heard good things about the food. Turns out to be one of the best smash burgers I’ve had, with a massive side of chips and large glass of coke I was absolutely full and ready for another coffeeshop. I vow to return to the Bulldog palace as it was just perfect tbh, apart from the 5foot2 “bouncer” quite aggressively stepping in front of me and trying to guide me into the coffeeshop first
“No thanks amigo, I’m just here for burger and chips” I quickly reel off as I dip dodge duck past the little hobbit. Apart from that it was all perfect, food, vibe, lighting and decent enough music made it quite a happy place to sit sipping dabs and rolling up another Grinspoon fatty. My feet are killing me after I made the school boy error of bringing some newish trainers that I haven’t put any serious miles in yet but I loaded the pen up and hobbled along towards Balou in the hope they would still have some shoreline on the menu, and they do! It smells exactly as I remember it and I take 2 grams and head off upstairs. I rolled up half the bag and kicked back to some awesome 90’s HipHop. Every tune that played was a classic. It was all Mobb deep, Wu Tang, The Roots and more. I was so happy in there as I chugged on what felt like my 10th Fanta Cassis of the day (I love this stuff) The Shorline tastes great but doesn’t burn super clean. It’s not black ash by any means and I still enjoy the flavour but it could have smoked a little cleaner. It’s getting a bit later now after sitting in Balou for a couple of doobs and a good few dabs. Chatting with a couple Glasgow lads and gave one of them his first dab, a healthy glob of hash burger sent him to the moon but in a good way. He was comfortably numb let’s say as he sailed off with his buddy to get some food. I decided to make a move myself and as soon as I had walked 50 metres it felt like my big toes were imploding. I made the emergency decision to hit up Primark after a quick google shows it being open till 10pm for a cheap pair of comfy sneaks that I could dispose of at the end of the trip. Tram takes me there and then my stoned idiot self takes me up to the 2nd floor to only realise I need to be in the basement floor for men’s. I’m met with what seems to be an endless canal system of choices, racks everywhere and I quickly hunt out a pair of Sketcher like soft, fabric like ones that should take better care of the talons. Quick try on and a few steps, they feel perfect. I take them off and walk to the counter around the corner in my socks because at this point my Nike air Pennys can fuck right off. I pay the girl and explain I’m gonna wear them now and she’s cute off the tags for me, go back to where I tried them on and put my Nikes in my bag and new sneaks on feet. All good until I get to the door and get stopped by three security guards “Do you have receipt?” I pull the receipt out of my back pocket and laugh “What do you think happened?” I said and was told they seen me putting trainers in my bag. I open my bag and say “you don’t sell these” they all look in the bag and then look at me confused. “These break my feet and these are Erste Hulp” I say as i point at my feet. Laughs all round and fist bumps. As I walk out a lady security guard says “thank you and sorry” She was blocking the bloody door off
The change of footwear has worked a treat though and I sail over Damrak towards HillStreetBlues for a quick smoke before making my way back for the night. I grab a quick KFC after, I’m not hungry right now but I know I will be at the hotel and you can’t beat cold fried chicken 
Made a last minute decision whilst on the tram to get off a stop or two early and visit coffeeshop the Loft to see what they have as well as grab some bakingbad rosin infused edibles (100mg per pack) I grab two packs for the next days visit to the museum and also a gram of some nice looking gelonade flower which I wrap up in the shop with some hash and then a slow walk back to my hotel. It’s getting late now and I’m so glad to be back. The streets are pretty much empty and the walk brings me back to the hotel around midnight. The joint smoked so nice and the timing to the hotel was perfect, I’ve only had Gelonade in extract so it’s nice to try the flower. I love the terps, I think one of my new favourites. I stop by my sheltered spot and load the one up for one more glob before retreating to a bit of YouTube and a good nights sleep. First day complete
