Hestia's Trip, April 2009, Day 12
Posted: Mon 25th May 2009 02:31 pm
Day 12, Saturday, April 18th.
Know what? Amsterdam is a cafe society and that is great. People meeting, eating, visiting, living at all times of the day & night. Nobody stays inside. Everyone seems to be out and about. I could get used to this! Anyway, back to the story.
Up by 7:00 this morning, I want to get to the Saturday market early so I can get the freshest and best roses for the kitchen table at Hennie's house. The ones she has need to be replaced. Another beautiful morning full of coffee and Basjoes (James') special cheese reefer. And the sleesack from the Grey Area - a good mix. Basjoes' makes me starved and Grey Area's keeps me going. -I call it sleez/cheese!!!
Out the door and to the market by 8;30. The perfect time according to Hennie. She even told me which vendor to go to for flowers, the one at the end of the market. Her advise was right on. I bought a dozen huge, long stemmed assorted colors roses for 3 freakin' Euros! My goodness! Where I'm from these roses would have cost 40 - 50 bucks on sale. These were flowers that dazzled the eyes with color and freshened the air with spring scents. Some I recognized, but a lot of them I had no idea what kind they were. I'm awed by it all. There's also an organic market today, so I buy fresh strawberries, huge & red, just begging to be sugared and eaten. After marketing * went back to the room, gave Hennie the strawberries and roses, which she loved.
Then I saw it was about time to head to Leidsplein for the St. Nicks Saturday boat tour at 2:00. So after another pipe of Sleezcheese, I'm out the door and across the street to the tram stop. After a brief 10 min wait I'm on my way. When I hit Leidsplein I hit the ATM and then strolled over to the Bulldog. It's only 1:00 and I have plenty of time. Goody, same bud tender out front and bartendress too. 1 hot chocolate with whipped cream and 1 gram of LA Conn, (I think) Go outside, hit a seat, pull out my trusty pipe and cop a good buzz, a bit harsh on my throat but damn good buzz, a fair trade off I suppose.
After half an hour of so I finished here and decide to walk across the square to Boom Chicago, for the boat tour. I waited until 2:30 and no body showed up, not even the captain! Oh, well, what the hell, it's Amsterdam, stoners show up, sometimes and sometimes they don't. Dealing with stoners in Amsterdam is like herding cats, it's nigh on to being impossible. But I even lost the boat captain? I sincerely hope that the Monday evening 420 cruise is better attended!
Aw, Fook it! I'm hungry, so on my way towards the Dam I stop at a little cafe/bakery and have a nice meal, a big toasted roast beef w blue cheese crumbles sandwich , a coke lite, of course and a most interesting muffin - it was peach and stuffed wit raspberries. Awesome X 2, wow!
Now I'm feeling full and ready to work up a new buzz, so I start traveling towards the Nes. Had no trouble finding this place as it's right of the Dam. I walk in the door and right away I like the feel of this place, mellow. Hark! Do I hear the clack of pool balls? I must go and see. I don't play anymore but I like to watch a good game of stick.. Go up to the bar & get a new drink, cassis from Fugo. After the first drink, I'm hooked I grab a good table in the back room, have a seat, stuff a pipe, say howdy to the 2 guys playing pool, kick off my shoes and prop my feet up in a chair. I'm here, let's party.
Within an hour, everybody started showing up. Finally met twitch & his wife an rotten kid. What nice people all. AC/DC, Res, Liquid Smoke, Red Eye Indian, Trid De, AZ Laker, & wife , Cat tales & hubby, Pirate Raff & woman, Pally wallnuts & mysterious stranger, Fishin Bob & pal & worsall & more! What a fun group, good humored and laid back, ready to have a good time. It's just amazing--- To be able to party with people from all over, all of us drawn here wit a common cause, cannabis. It almost brought a tear to my eye.
What's that I see? A vapo bag!, then another and another and so on until every one was totally blitzed + 10. I was totally stoned and groovin' on the crowd and grinnin' like an idiot ,and having a high old time. ( Pun intended ) we all were and yes, there were some pool players jessies there, they like the stick. By around 8:30 - 9;00 I'm totally bashed and ready to take off back to my digs. And leave the partying to others, just went to Dam square, found a cab, hopped in and went home & ate a bag of cookies and passed out by 10:00. WHAT A DAY!
Know what? Amsterdam is a cafe society and that is great. People meeting, eating, visiting, living at all times of the day & night. Nobody stays inside. Everyone seems to be out and about. I could get used to this! Anyway, back to the story.
Up by 7:00 this morning, I want to get to the Saturday market early so I can get the freshest and best roses for the kitchen table at Hennie's house. The ones she has need to be replaced. Another beautiful morning full of coffee and Basjoes (James') special cheese reefer. And the sleesack from the Grey Area - a good mix. Basjoes' makes me starved and Grey Area's keeps me going. -I call it sleez/cheese!!!
Out the door and to the market by 8;30. The perfect time according to Hennie. She even told me which vendor to go to for flowers, the one at the end of the market. Her advise was right on. I bought a dozen huge, long stemmed assorted colors roses for 3 freakin' Euros! My goodness! Where I'm from these roses would have cost 40 - 50 bucks on sale. These were flowers that dazzled the eyes with color and freshened the air with spring scents. Some I recognized, but a lot of them I had no idea what kind they were. I'm awed by it all. There's also an organic market today, so I buy fresh strawberries, huge & red, just begging to be sugared and eaten. After marketing * went back to the room, gave Hennie the strawberries and roses, which she loved.
Then I saw it was about time to head to Leidsplein for the St. Nicks Saturday boat tour at 2:00. So after another pipe of Sleezcheese, I'm out the door and across the street to the tram stop. After a brief 10 min wait I'm on my way. When I hit Leidsplein I hit the ATM and then strolled over to the Bulldog. It's only 1:00 and I have plenty of time. Goody, same bud tender out front and bartendress too. 1 hot chocolate with whipped cream and 1 gram of LA Conn, (I think) Go outside, hit a seat, pull out my trusty pipe and cop a good buzz, a bit harsh on my throat but damn good buzz, a fair trade off I suppose.
After half an hour of so I finished here and decide to walk across the square to Boom Chicago, for the boat tour. I waited until 2:30 and no body showed up, not even the captain! Oh, well, what the hell, it's Amsterdam, stoners show up, sometimes and sometimes they don't. Dealing with stoners in Amsterdam is like herding cats, it's nigh on to being impossible. But I even lost the boat captain? I sincerely hope that the Monday evening 420 cruise is better attended!
Aw, Fook it! I'm hungry, so on my way towards the Dam I stop at a little cafe/bakery and have a nice meal, a big toasted roast beef w blue cheese crumbles sandwich , a coke lite, of course and a most interesting muffin - it was peach and stuffed wit raspberries. Awesome X 2, wow!
Now I'm feeling full and ready to work up a new buzz, so I start traveling towards the Nes. Had no trouble finding this place as it's right of the Dam. I walk in the door and right away I like the feel of this place, mellow. Hark! Do I hear the clack of pool balls? I must go and see. I don't play anymore but I like to watch a good game of stick.. Go up to the bar & get a new drink, cassis from Fugo. After the first drink, I'm hooked I grab a good table in the back room, have a seat, stuff a pipe, say howdy to the 2 guys playing pool, kick off my shoes and prop my feet up in a chair. I'm here, let's party.
Within an hour, everybody started showing up. Finally met twitch & his wife an rotten kid. What nice people all. AC/DC, Res, Liquid Smoke, Red Eye Indian, Trid De, AZ Laker, & wife , Cat tales & hubby, Pirate Raff & woman, Pally wallnuts & mysterious stranger, Fishin Bob & pal & worsall & more! What a fun group, good humored and laid back, ready to have a good time. It's just amazing--- To be able to party with people from all over, all of us drawn here wit a common cause, cannabis. It almost brought a tear to my eye.
What's that I see? A vapo bag!, then another and another and so on until every one was totally blitzed + 10. I was totally stoned and groovin' on the crowd and grinnin' like an idiot ,and having a high old time. ( Pun intended ) we all were and yes, there were some pool players jessies there, they like the stick. By around 8:30 - 9;00 I'm totally bashed and ready to take off back to my digs. And leave the partying to others, just went to Dam square, found a cab, hopped in and went home & ate a bag of cookies and passed out by 10:00. WHAT A DAY!
Blame it on my typist. 
As to mysterious stranger, that is how he was introduced to me.