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I love lemon skunk. Haven't had a decent sample in years! One for the nostalgia list!

Try Het Gelderse - Geldersekade 54 for Orange Bud. It's on the most recent menu from there at €8, which was just April this year.

Popeye wrote: ↑Wed 4th Jul 2018 05:59 pm Try Het Gelderse - Geldersekade 54 for Orange Bud. It's on the most recent menu from there at €8, which was just April this year.

They still got it.

Day One - July 1st

This trip was easily the most anticipated, and I really do not know why. I was simply excited about returning to AMS for the first time since last June (2017). I don't know how many times I've written trip reports (6 maybe?). I'm getting a better feel for what everyone enjoys reading, so I'll hit the high-lites and hope everyone enjoys it.

If you read the earlier entries in this thread, you already know that the trip started off on shaky ground. The apartment I rented in the Jordaan cancelled on me. Bummer, b/c I really enjoy that area. So, the day before we are to fly out, we have no where to stay. I scramble around and find a nice room at the American Hotel in Leidesplein. I don't often wander to the Leidesplein area, so I'll get a new experience there.

Remember I have a family and stuff with me, so rather than take the train (my preference), we Uber into town. Uber fee is approximately 30 Euros doorstep to doorstep, which is not bad at all. Just in case you are curious, the Uber pick-up is in front of the Sheraton across from the station.

After dropping our luggage, we are off. The first stop was right up the street from Leidesplein, just a hop, skip, and jump, literally, b/c my 2 year old was into hopping and jumping (we may not master the skip). CS Crush welcomed me to AMS right off the bat!



I cannot say enough good things about CS Crush. I was the first customer of the day. The CS was super clean! The smoking area was very nice (although I didn't stay due to the family waiting for me). The BT was super friendly. The BT was happy to show as much as you wanted to peruse and let you smell to your heart's content. You could purchase by the weight or the price (.5 g - no problem, or 10 E, no problem). I purchased a gram of Mango Haze. It was so beautiful and smooth. It was not very potent, which was fine with me. Great walking around high for me. The Mango Haze was not in line with my desire to purchase the old school strains, but it has some good old school strains as parents (plus CS Crush did not have any available).

My wife is a big fan of Café Wheels in the 9 Streets area. It is her one ritual in AMS. She gets a pesto/tomato toastie. I get my first Heineken and a shot of espresso. Oh, and the Mango Haze is making an appearance as well!



This weather is the hands down best weather I've ever experienced in AMS. Note to self - return to AMS around the 4th of July!

Somehow we wound our way toward Noordermarkt and into the Jordaan to my favorite bench on the Egelantiersgracht! If AMS ever raised money by permitting people to sponsor canal benches, I'd sponsor a bench on the Egelantiersgracht. I love that place.

That Mango Haze was circulating through my system and really kicking in by now. The Egelantiersgracht is host to some great memories (see prior trip reports with the cluster of paddleboats, little dogs walking their owners [instead of vice versa], and just great time passing the day with the Westerkerk bells ringing). If you have not spent an hour on the Egelantiersgracht, don't hesitate. Life will reward you for spending time on that friendly little canal. Anyway, the Mango Haze paired up with the magic of the Egelantiersgracht to provide two great experiences:

1. Someone Loves Canoes.

Someone who has rights to tie up a boat on the Egelantiersgracht really loves canoes. In fact, they love them so much that when one becomes submerged, they simply go purchase another one.



I guess if I were really high, walked up to see my one canoe submerged, I very well might proclaim, "Fuck it" and just go purchase another one.

2. Take Care of Your Home.

As soon as my eyes lifted from the goings-on along the water of the canal, I looked up to behold a nice lady cleaning the windows of her canal home (or maybe it was a housecleaner). Regardless of who was doing the cleaning, it was fascinating.

In the picture below, take a bit of time to notice the flowers in EVERY window. The nicely painted brick and white trim windows. And boy were those windows clean! The owner really put on a beautiful display of being proud of her amazing home along one of my favorite canals.



Cleaning those windows, by the way, is a tidy 4 step process. I think I watched her clean every window. If anyone is interested in how a professional cleans windows along the canal, I'm happy to share.

Every now and again I think of ideas of how I can make a living in AMS and stay. If I were able to work over there, I'd have a landscaping service where I design and install front-of-home window landscaping for the homes. I'd stage them, install the flower boxes, clean them, fertilize, provide directions on care and maintenance, create pictures and a web site to market it, and offer multiple options (4 times a year, 2 times, Christmas, Easter, summer, etc.). We would even offer decorating across the house along the canal (next time you are walking around, notice that some homes will decorate along the canal, too, with potted plants or planting stuff around the trees). I conservatively estimate that is a 50K Euro business with the proper marketing and access to flowers. Plus you can franchise/scale that business idea to other cities - Paris, Brussels, Bruges, Delft, etc.

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked, but the above is how my mind works when I have a good high, but not an out-of-my-mind high from the higher THC stuff coming on the market. The high THC wares have a definite place, but I like the creative, more controlled highs when walking around AMS.

One final comment regarding the house décor. Has anyone else noticed that the AMS flowers switched this year to Petunias? Petunias were everywhere. For the last 10 years, the predominant flower was the Geranium. But this year, Geraniums were few and far between compared to the Petunia. Both are good, but I missed the red Geraniums.

After brainstorming business ideas, we walked up to the sandbox playground at Brouwersgracht and Herengracht. Great location for little kids if you find yourself in AMS with the family. I love that spot for a few reasons:

1. Outdoor toilet!!!

2. Kiddo can play while I relax.

3. Up the street from Siberie!

At Siberie, I met one of the nicest BT I've ever met. Honestly, the entire trip this time was full of super friendly BTs. This BT was the tall redhead female. Like at CS Crush, she was happy to sell by the weight or price. She was super happy to show me any bud I wanted to look at. She was knowledgeable about it (unlike some places in years past where the BT claims they have not tried any of the wares, ahem, Rusland, looking at you idiots). So I bought 2 great old school strains - Thai and Super Silver Haze.

I wrote on here, and Kenshiro verified, that the SSH at Siberie is the best example of SSH I've ever smoked. It was potent! It was clean tasting. It burnt well. Just beautiful. And the Thai - peppery, dark, crumbled beautifully, no seeds, and fantastic as a base for hash. I really enjoyed every bit of that Thai.

If you can get some of that SSH and Thai, I highly recommend them! Below is a picture of that delicious Thai!



Usually on our first day, we simply walk around the town and reintroduce ourselves to AMS. The air seems so clean and breath-able (compared to the 80+ humidity air I constantly breathe here in TX). People are generally happy. The bikes, the sounds, the smells, the pop of green and vibrant flower colors are just friendly and welcoming. AMS is like an old, consistent friend that welcomes you back even when you have not seen that friend in 1 year.

We walk down High Street (Haarlemmerstraat) across over to Dam Square. Honestly, that SSH was really kicking in and had me super high, so next thing I know we are around the De Waag area, and I really have no idea how we ended up here. My wife was leading the way, and she does not channel Magellan's navigation skills like I think I channel the navigation skills, so we just end up in random places like Dam Square to the De Waag area. Go figure.

I do love coming to my senses from a good high in a random place that I recognize in AMS. So that experience was a great one. Does that happen to you, too, dear reader? You purchase at one CS. You set out, and next thing you know you are looking at the Magere Brug or eating Chipsy King. Ha, ha, ha - great times.

One comment about the Jolly Joker. I read a lot about its location and the history of that building. I wanted to go in and look at what they had. But they have a bouncer who wanted to card. Pfft - I'm in my 40s, dude, with a family. Don't make it difficult for me to come in and purchase something. Pass on Jolly Joker (although I would like to go inside one day and check out the décor in that old building).

Eventually my group settled in, and I was free to explore. Daylight lasts until 10:30 p.m., which I absolutely love. I've piddled around long enough - time for some hash. Off to the Foodhallen area and CS Millenium for some of that fabled Diamond Hash. CS Millenium was another great visit. The BTs were friendly. The CS was nice and clean. They bragged on that Diamond Hash, and it delivered! If you can get some of that Diamond Hash, please do so!



I ended the night at a nice little set of benches where the Leidsegracht enters the . . . um, I never could figure out the name of the larger canal along the Stadhouderskade. Anyway, if you look at a map, you will find those benches easily. Benches are typically hard to find in the evening, but only one time during the entire trip were those benches taken. Great spot for boat watching!

Day 2 - July 2nd

Not much to report for this day other than a story or two.

To Westermarkt for my journals. If you like to write, the guy selling journals at the Westermarkt (he is also at the Noordermarkt) is top notch. High quality acid free paper with good enough leather binding. I've been buying from that guy for at least a decade.

More playing at the sandbox. To Van Loon, and I don't remember a stinking thing about that house. I do believe I prefer the Willet-Holthuysen house much more than the Van Loon.

Pretty much all day I alternated the Thai/Diamond Hash mix with the SSH and Mango Haze. Oh boy, I was just along for the ride today. I actually got turned around multiple times, which is one of the first times in a long time I've gotten turned around in AMS. Ha, it was fun, in a way, b/c it just does not happen often. I was particularly turned around along the Keisergracht and Nieuwe Spiegelstraat area where multiple times I would find a bench, smoke, stand up and not know which way took me to the museums or toward the center of town. Man, I could use more of that stuff now!

One great thing about this visit was World Cup is in full swing. I love watching World Cup soccer in Europe! The bars all roll out the big televisions and run specials during the games. They are so much fun to watch. I enjoy watching at a bar along the Thorbeckeplein.

Day 3 - July 3rd

To Mac Bike to rent a bike. Before you guys start piling on about Mac Bike, you should know that Mac Bike is the only bike store that I could find to rent a bike with a child's seat. Today was so much fun riding around AMS with the little buddy on the back. We rode all over town today. The little man would ride yell out, "Wee" and "Yay" and "Faster" while we rode all through the city. Seems like we rode for hours and hours.

We visited Rembrandthuis. If you have not visited Rembrandt's home, I highly recommend it. It was very interactive. It also helped that I read Van Loon's diary of Rembrandt just before the trip.

Today was the painters day, so off to Van Gogh as well. Van Gogh is always good for putting the little man to sleep as we peruse the art. I trust everyone reading this report has visited the Van Gogh museum! We are a museum loving family from the obscure to the well know. The Van Gogh is a top 5 international museum.



The family was worn out after a day of biking. Plus the wife is 7 months pregnant, so between her and the little man, they were pooped after a full day of bike riding and sunshine. We picnicked at Vondelpark, hung out at various benches and green spaces so I could burn through my stash, and generally enjoyed the day.

Them in bed early meant I had a good 3 or so hours of daylight to explore with my bike and child seat companion. I got a lot of looks that evening on a tourist bike with an empty child's seat. Oh well, hopefully someone noted that they, too, can bring children to AMS.

I took advantage of the free time to bike up to an area that I've never visited - Hugo de Grootplein. Time to visit more new CSs and check out CS Hugo and CS Supermarkt.

I cannot say enough about either. First stop was CS Supermarkt. The BT was, again, super friendly. I think he reads this board b/c I told him that I was looking for old school strains, and he commented that he read where someone was visiting AMS and looking for old school strains.



He said the Lemon Skunk was divine, and then showed me his OG Kush, which he praised as one of the finest examples of the strain. I've never seen a BT actually remove the bud from the Tupperware container and show me the interesting characteristics (OG Kush has 2 stems, for example). The Lemon Skunk, by the way, contained the most pure taste of citrus that I've ever experienced. Just amazing. It was so pretty, too, like Van Gogh should have painted some still life of it!



From there, over to CS - Hugo. Fantastic coffeeshop. They had the World Cup soccer game on (the one where England defeated someone with the penalty kicks). The entire clientele seemed to be locals popping in and out. Several of us watched the game and had a great time. No where to sit here, however. It is purely a buy and fly.

Super nice BT with a house cat. Again, I got the royal treatment of what to purchase, smell, view, etc.



What did I purchase here, you ask? Well, none other than the fabled Moonrocks that seemed all the rage 2 years ago and last year. I remember when Moonrocks were going for 40 Euros. She said that I should at least try them if for no other reason than to say I tried them. The price - 13 Euros. What a deal! It was Amnesia Haze dipped in cannaoil and rolled in leftover hash dust. I had no reason to think she was being misleading. Plus I was about to purchase something more expensive. So it seemed like fate directed me to purchase it.



I returned to my little collection of benches along Leidsegracht. While there I had a magical experience smoking, and engaged in a bit of a science experiment during the remaining 1.5 hours of daylight. Convinced that the SSH was super potent and an excellent specimen, and the Lemon Skunk was a powerful citrus, I had to experiment.

First, I began with the Moonrocks. It was good. I wouldn't spend much on it again, but it was good.

Second, the Lemon Skunk. Sure enough that citrus flavor cut through.

Third, a bowl of the OG Kush. I needed to slip a bit of indica into the mix just to reset. Boy, that OG Kush was great.

Fourth, with my palette cleansed a bit from the OG Kush, to the Mango Haze. That Mango Haze was the smoothest smoke of the entire trip. It was soothing on my throat and pleasant. But not a lot of flavor in the bowl. Yet a good high.

Fifth, my old friend, the SSH. I'm super high right now, and want to know if the SSH is going to cut through the high. Sure enough, it cut through like a hot knife through butter. That SSH hit me hard, which was impressive at this late stage after Moonrocks, Lemon Skunk, OG Kush, and Mango Haze. I was so thirsty that I finished off my very large bottle of water and enjoyed the last bit of day light while various boat captains puttered to their moorings.

But not so fast, one more sixth bowl to pack and test if that Lemon Skunk really produces a clear citrus taste after all those other strains. I'm happy to report that yes, it did, in a big way! That Lemon Skunk really showed off the citrus taste in ways that I have been completely oblivious to in all other trips.

Great end to the night. And only while being super happy along a canal can you enjoy sights like this group in their makeshift boat.



I love AMS!

I must have missed this thread! What a lovely discovery. A refreshing perspective on our lady Mokum as ever good sir.
Too many nice moments to mention but I particularly enjoyed your good work on the six-shooter ssh cut-through bowl experiment. No mean feat!

It is past time to finish up this report with the 2nd half. Recall (or to refresh my own memory), July 1 - July 5th I was in AMS. Then to Florence July 5 - July 12. Back to AMS July 12 - July 15th. I pick back up on my very happy return on this last leg of my trip.

I have a T&T scheduled with RoMoney and Kenshiro, so I'm excited! Plus, we are back in AMS!!! Gotta get the most out of these few days.

July 12th (early morning landing)

All signs point towards the positive immediately upon landing. Try as I may, up until this point, I have been very successful at failing to convince my son to say and properly pronounce Amsterdam. Regardless, I was not giving up, so immediately, upon landing, I look to him and say, "Amsterdam, Yea!" And replies, "Amsterdam, Yea!, Daddy" in response. Those of you who have children know just how special such little moments are for you (those of you who have yet had children will experience that feeling one day). So, I'm super excited, family is super excited, and we are happy to have boots on the ground!

35 Euros to Uber from Airport to the heart of AMS - NH Doelen on Nieuwe Doelenstraat. I highly recommend. The rooms overlook the canal, are spacious, great beds, and superior central location.



II would not be surprised to know that every single poster on this board has sat upon one of these benches where the Kloveniersburgwal flows into the Amstel. Great location. Each day and night, I sat along these benches (one of two). Wife and kiddo need me, they can just wave out the window.

To be clear, any bench in the Jordaan is superior, but these little benches are a great location in the Center.

While family gets oriented, it is literally a hop, skip, jump to CS Balou. I find myself coming in here just about every 3rd trip, and I generally have a good experience. The Budtendress was very cool, friendly, and talkative. I picked up a little pipe and a Gram of Hindu Kush! Thanks to the CCs who made a comment about Hindu Kush when we were all discussing old school strains. That gram was 12 Euros of some of the finest flower I've experienced! As a Kush, it has those indica flavors and hit where the smoke just feels heavier/thicker. But the Hindu Kush did not couch-lock me like so many other Kush varieties.

Still feeling great, I walk over to Boerjoenegans. I waited in that long, aggravating line, listen too way too many very young adults murmur and discuss what weed to purchase, only to get to the cashier and they are out of SSH Bloc. Ugh! That was the sole reason I came here. Pass on any purchase out of aggravation. If you are out of something, why not post it on those fancy digital screens so someone like me doesn't wait in line for 20+ min. only to find out that it is all gone. Pfft.

Well, not to be deterred, I thought I'd swing around through Amstelveen, then back through Rembrandtplein, and back to the room to go out. Might as well stop into Barney's on my way. It is, after all, just ahead on the right. I suspect most everyone reading has a little quirk, personal little side trip, if you will, or perhaps label it a 'guilty pleasure' that they enjoy, and they really don't share it. I realized on this trip that my little guilty pleasure is swinging by Barneys on each trip. I don't plan it. I just end up there at some point subconsciously. I've had some really good experiences there over the years both with hanging out in there to really good bud.

This trip to Barney's provided yet another highlight. I'm asking the BT what he likes (no one is in there other than me). He offers to pull out various stuff, but then throws me a curve ball and says, "Get one of these joints we just made. The owner asked for some Liberty haze mixed with Laughing Buddah, and it is the freshest, best smelling stuff we have. We used all of our good, fresh stuff in those joints, and no one will ever know.

1 prerolled joint, please. And I tell you, that joint was one of the more lovely joints I've ever experienced. That BT was spot on with that recommendation! Thank you, again, Barney's Lounge. Super strong high with uncontrollable giggle effect.

Big shopping day, so I'll spare you many of the details. Blah, blah, blah, Antiek Market, blah, blah, blah, Delft pottery, blah, blah, blah, Terra for dress shoes (high recommend if you wear dress shoes every day). Until you shop and walk around with a little child, you may not appreciate all of the child-centric stores and places exist for children. AMS is one of the best cities for children. I lost count of children's stores. They are so numerous. And parks for little children are everywhere when you are looking. I did not notice the children's vibe as much until I had children.



"That, Daddy. Sword!"

Looped back to room and stopped by the Old Church. This place receives favorable reviews. The BT was comical and we enjoyed some fun banter. Like Barneys, no one was there, so I guess he was fighting boredom by joking around. I went in and we were chatting about the US and AMS while I sampled stuff. I settled on 10 euros of the Blueberry Cheese. He proceeds to dump all of it onto the scale, removes a few buds, and says, "There, 10. I just laughed and shook my head, then responded, "I thought you had a limit on the number of grams you can sell." He says, "It is a slow day, and I won't tell if you don't tell." I just laughed and shook my head, then he said, "I'm joking. But it does look pretty out of the box, right?"

Funny guy.

The Blueberry Cheese, by the way, was very weak with minimal taste.

Ahh, returning to AMS is like catching up with an old friend after a long absence. Like that old friend, AMS welcomes you and embraces you as if happy to see you again. Like that old friend, the core part of AMS is constant/consistent, yet you know some parts have changed, and you have some catching up to do. Likewise, you know what to expect, what AMS will give, and each of your limits.

A few observations to end the day:

1. The flower of the year is the Petunia. It was always the geranium before (at least a decade).

2. Popped by Utopia (The Plug) to say hi to Gapie and bet on running into DLN. Easy pass on The Plug for me. First, the line to purchase was very long. Second, some short guy with a beard saying, over and over, that I must be looking for the counter. I had already purchased at the counter. Gracious, that bullshit was annoying. I just wanted to get into the smoking room, and he was standing outside telling everyone who walked by to go purchase at the counter. Weird. Then Gapie came out, and Counter Hawker stopped for a while. Good to see you, Gapie. DLN was also there, so it was good to see him, too. Don't you love walking around AMS and running into people that you know and did not coordinate seeing? I love that possibility.

Anyway, The Plug is not for me. It has a gangster, seedy, techno, overpriced feel. Pass.

July 13th (Friday)

Sunlight floods the room at 5:30. I love it! I get up, take my coffee, then return to those benches. A person can accomplish a lot sitting on those benches early in the morning.

Ate at Omelegg. Great breakfast that I highly recommend (no smoking, though).

Today is museum day with the little son. We are going to the NEMO Museum. Great museum for children. I'd recommend 3+ age. We were just about 1 year too young, but even then had a great time! So much is both educational and informative. Everything was interactive. If you have children, I implore you to visit.



Talk and Toke is coming up! Time to get a bicycle, so I hoof it over to Mike's Bikes on Kerkstraat. Wait a minute. Where is Mike's Bike? It is not here. Ugh. I have to rent from King Bike. Blah. I really liked that Mike's Bike location.

To the T&T at Baba to meet RoMoney and Kenshiro.

En route, I got behind one of the funnier observations of this trip - the Puffing Away Octogenerian Lil Rascal. It seemed everywhere I went on this trip, there was a little old lady or a little old man on one of those motorized carts, just scootin' 'round town. I got behind this one old guy who was damned near smoking me out with his blunt in front of me. I couldn't get around him. I was stuck behind him while he motored along for a few blocks. Ha, I'm happy to know that when I cannot walk or ride a bike, AMS will permit the motorized cart for the elderly.

Baba was nice. I bought some Nepal Temple Ball for 8 Euros. Recall, I'm on a mission this trip for the old school varieties.

I will likely never purchase Nepal Temple Ball again. I couldn't get it to light. Roll into a ball. Nope. Disc, nope. Mix with bud. Nope. Agh, this Nepal Temple Ball is so aggravating!!!! Oh, hell, it is nearly time for me to leave, and I've done nothing but walk in stoned from some old man 2nd hand smoke while peddling to Baba, remain absorbed in lighting this damned Temple Ball, and what is that RoMoney. Fuck, RoMoney just solved all of the world's problems, and I only heard about 1/2 of the solution and did not get to add my $.02 due to this aggravating crap Temple Ball. RoMoney, that conversation was both interesting and comical with your points about message boards and small, ignorant posters.

Ha, ha, when I look back upon that story, it makes me laugh. RoMoney, and Ken, you two were great to hang out with for an hour. Next time I will be more talkative, and will not ever again attempt to smoke Nepal Temple Balls.

On my way back to the hotel, I noticed for the first time ever there is a bike parking garage at Muntplein as you walk towards Rembrandtplein. I never noticed that before!

Popped over into the book-sellers alleyway near that University area close to t'Gashuis. I really enjoy that little alleyway with the vendors, books, maps, etc. It is a very serene location, and oddly quiet to be so near the Red Light District action.

Just before the light started to fade, sitting on my benches near the hotel, I saw a little boat putter up the Kloveniersburgwal, and the captain was hawking eels to people all along the canal. They had a little sign, and were packaging them and selling them. Amazing what you see along the canal if you hang out long enough!

Saturday (July 14th)

Today was eventful for me and my family, but uneventful for the board. Lots of walking around.

Those great joints at Barneys, sure enough, all gone (different BT did indeed say that the owner bought them all).

It dawned on me that my meeting with Ro/Ken, along with the other ACD'ers meeting in Canada, was possibly the first cross-continent, simultaneous, ACD T&Ts!

Saw a guy doing the breast-stroke in the Amstel early this morning. I wouldn't dare get in that water!

Au revoir AMS! I hope to see you within the next 12 months!

Great read that. Thanks. I’ve a five year old so the child/family related stuff may well prove useful in the future.

Always enjoy your reports LLMReb