Amsterdam 2010, 420 Cup
Day 1
After 6 months of planning, printing, drawing and dreaming....finally, finally, finally! It's time to be off to Amsterdam. 16 whole days, from April 15 to May 1st, I am so looking forward to it.
I'm going to make not only 420 but also Queens Day! My bag is packed with posters, maps and name tags for the 420 Cup. It's been a lot of work and thought for a lot of people. I think it's going to turn out fantastic! Most likely there will be 45 - 50 people show up, "Good Lord willin' an'the crick don't rise". I mean, what could go wrong now? Everything has been thought out, we have taken care of it as best as possible, and a monster party is going to happen. Let's Go, Go, Go! I woke up to sunny skies an fine weather. The TV Forecaster says it will be 80F and clear skies by take off time.
Something tells me I've been a bit of a pain in the Ass lately, L has made sure I'm at the airport in plenty of time to make the flight. Three hours early!
As a matter of fact, well I can't say that I blame him, all the dear man has heard for the last 6 months is 420 this and 420 that . I'd be dropping me off early too! Like a week or two 
. Yes, I can be a real rectal cramp. So I wait impatiently for the call to board the first leg of the journey, Detroit Michigan to pick up my international flight to Amsterdam. It is uneventful except for sitting next to a woman with very frazzled hair and a very young unhappy baby. Oh, well, it's just for a few hours, then we'll part. Besides she's just a nice woman trying to get back home from a visit to family. We landed in Detroit on schedule and I picked p my next plane right on time, cool. Cooler still is that on the long haul the seat next to me is empty, so I have some room to stretch out and rest. Also--the movie Avatar is available on the in-flight movies. I have wanted to see it, I just haven't had the time. Now I do, 9 hours worth of free time. It was a good movie, unlike airline food which I didn't like. So I take a nap for a while. When I woke up I looked at my watch and the in-flight map and realized that we were running a bit late. Oh, well, we'll be there soon enough. I'm just excited is all. 9:30 or 10:30, what's the big deal?
Then the strangest thing happens! The pilot comes over the intercom and said that the reason we were running late is that there had been a volcano in Iceland erupt and the plane had to fly around the edge of the dust cloud!
A volcano, where in the hell did that come from? Oh, well! I'm not going to worry about this! Iceland is over a thousand miles away from Amsterdam so what could possibly go wrong?Hot damn! We were getting ready to touch down. Amsterdam 420 and Queens day, here I come! History is about to be made, stoner style. As soon as the plane door opened I had my carry on and I was moving out double quick. Amsterdam! One of my most favorite places in the whole world. I galloped from customs to the ticket counter, got my train ticket to Central Station and loaded up for the short ride that seemed to last forever.
Then all of a sudden the train comes to a stop. I got off quickly and found myself moving through Central Station, out the main entrance and into Amsterdam. The smell, the buildings the ambiance that is Amsterdam all hit me. The first thing on my agenda was to find my room and drop off my bag, settle in a bit and see what's going on. My room is right about the Greenhouse Lounge with a nice Israeli lady. She is a very nice woman, but I am afraid I found the room a bit of a disappointment (that's the only thing I am going to say about it)
But on the other hand, the location is great. Also you can smoke or whatever you want to do, she's very cool with it all. I have my own keys and my landlady makes me fresh coffee and sets up my Internet for me every morning. She also loaded me up with gifts to take back home with me. So all in all I'm cool with it. So after getting settled in my room I go downstairs to my landlady's private apt and bless her heart she hands me a huge doobie all ready rolled up waiting.
After that she lights up a pipe of excellent Netherlands hash. Buzz, Buzz, super buzz a super good welcome. Thanks!I tell her about the 420 to do. She says that she hopes that the Volcano doesn't mess up the 420 for me and we just laugh it off, ha, ha ha. But now I've heard that they're shutting down the airport because of the dust cloud. I'm pretty sure it's nothing to be concerned about. After all, it's just a cloud! I'm carrying 20 LB of 420 paper goods, nothing can stop us now.
OOPS, it's already after 11:00! I need to hit the streets and speak with the chosen coffee shops about the 420 Cup parties and judging. 1st stop HGF. I get a gram of am haze.fair weed. They are happy to have the 420 party and have a good supply of weed. Lot's of people are talking about the volcano in worried tones. That this is the first time the airport has been closed sence 9/11 !!
2nd stop it the Green Place. A good coffee ship, with a nice bud tender who is happy to have the 420 crowd show up, no problem. And the weed is excellent I buy 1 gram train wreck & 1 gram of blue cheese. Both were fine buds. The blue cheese has an awesome sweet taste and a wonderful high. The train wreck was also excellent, a fine example of a quality smoke. After a 2 pipe smoke up and a hot chocolate, I'm off to my next coffee shop. 3rd stop Basjoes, one of my all time favorite shops.
As I walk in the door, James is standing behind the bar. As he looks up and sees me standing there a big smile comes onto his face. He steps out, we hug and then we kiss, Amsterdam style. It's so good to be back!
I order a coffee and grab a seat at the bar. When James brings me my drink, he sets up 2 big and different buds in front of me and says "smoke these up". So I did, I mind quite well . Holy Shit! King James special and LA Conn. 2 most excellent weeds. I buy a gram of LA con and one of Basjoes special, which is always a good choice.
While I was there who do I meet but Island Girl, Blueberry & Dirty Uncle Ron. All super nice people. Blueberry and Island Girl and just beautiful women inside and out, kind funny & sweet. They are total awesome smokers. They made me feel like a total amateur in comparison.,I kidd you not! After introductions, hugs & handshakes we grab the big table by the bar and here comes SoulRider. It's so good to see him again.he grabs a seat and we all get to rollin' an smokein'an termanitin' too, after around an hr. Or so Dirty Uncle Ron has to leave , to reach Central Station in time to catch a train home to Germany. We then proceeded to part 2 of a massive T. buzz. After this we hit the road to get some air and head towards Amnesia coffee shop and get milk shakes, mine was chocolate. They were very good, but 4 Euros apiece! I think Island Girl got some super silver haze here. After this we all parted for a bit and met later at Popeye's. Wile here I'm laughing my ass off at Island Girl and her bike riding experience with blueberry. Maybe she needs to rethink and stay on foot or tram. Because she certainly doesn't seem to be able to stay on the bike. While we were here, I bought a gram of pink cush. It was OK, but not as good as I had hoped. Also pricey at 14 Euros a gram. This is were Island Girl got online and made the starting report.
Then we were all starving so it's off to burger bar. Excellent food -burgers and pomme frittes. My favorite, yum, yum. We all hand back happy plates (empty). Next we all cross the street to the 420 to let them know that we would be there again for the 420 this year. They are very cool with it. I just love this coffee shop, they are very welcoming. I bought a gram of blueberry here. It could have been better but very smokable and only 8 Euros a gram.
Then onto Hunters coffee shop. By this time, its just me and Island Girl. Blueberry had to leave and meet some friends. This is a nice friendly shop. I bought a gram of dark star. Pretty good weed. Island bought a shit load of stuff.. also We got free drinks here, I don't know if it was because of the amount of weed & hash bought or because the Australian bud tender was smitten with island girl. He just kept grinning at island girl the whole time we were there. How cute. They are also cool with the 420 showing up...go figure.
Well its been a long day and evening. I'm buzzed and bushed, so we all make our way back to our separate crashes to sleep and rest up for tomorrow. Stopped an got some munchies on my way back to my room. Opened the door, puffed up all those damn stairs to my room. Dropped off my goodies & went out to use the bathroom. By now, I'm doing the pee-pee dance.I gallop, knees pressed together down the hall & run into an Italian man, Alberto. Tall ,dark and no English. He rents long term here. He smiles, takes my hand and says something in Italian that sounds as warm and sugary as maple syrup. Unfortunately I don't speak Italian. I tried to respond with class. Yeah! wrong ! wheeze, slobber and stagger away dancing like an idiot. I've got to go.!!!! Turning toward the bathroom I then ran smack dab into two young Spanish men, Miguel & Jose, cooking something that smelled wonderful in the kitchen. They smiled and asked if I wanted to have dinner with them. They are renting the room next to me. They'er all just super sweet, but if they don't move right this moment, I'm going to wet us all down.!!! Although I know this is Amsterdam and people are open to most things, I am not ready to give them an accidental free golden shower.
They get the hint and get out of the way. I think that I scared them. Sorry guys!YES,YES,YES what heaven, what joy.what bliss. And two ply toilet paper soft and cushy to boot.!!! After coming back out I apologize for trampling everyone and passed on their very kind offer for dinner. I had already scored chocolate. Yum. Then I shuffled and grunted my way back to my room, turned on the TV, loaded up a pipe of train wreck from the green place. Ripped open the chocolate with my teeth, gorged myself to semi-nausia. Lit up my pipe and sat in the front window right on the haarlemstraaat and watched live roll by down below me, then I put on Jammies, pulled the curtains and went to the land of nod
