"Haarlem Hempcity Adventures & Daily Report~Trip 2" Amsterdam Travelogue by BlueBerry_7

After getting up and shaking off the jetlag as much as possilbe, we headed out for the day. Went straight to the Willie Wortel again to see Marcel and give him the souviner we brought him from the USA. He was surprised and I believe he liked it lot, a t-shirt from a local headshop, a shot glass from SC and a cool lighter. Later Nol came in and he stayed and talked with us for a while and we all got stoned as hell. Finally after they all left, we did too and after stopping briefly at the room we decided to go ahead to Amsterdam for the rest of the day.

After departing Central Station our first stop was naturally the de Kuil, now a favorite place to hang and chill while smoking out! We purchased some killer Shiva buds, 5 grams for 35 euros, which is some awesome stuff, definitely one of my top 3 favorite strains. We also tried some of thier Blueberry, another 5 grams 35 euro, which is good but not as nice as the Noons Blueberry was last time. We left there and went around the corner to Manhattan Pizza, another one of our most favorite places to visit while in mecca. Saw our pizza making freind and he remembered us from last time. We hooked us up with a huge pizza piled with cheese and it was soo delicious by far the best pizza I have ever had! Now that our stomachs were full, it was time to find a place to smoke some more:)) So we made our way to the Grey Area and picked up some Grey Mist Crystals, a gram for 15 euro. We sprinkled some on our Shiva and Blueberry joints and proceeded to get wasted again. I just love Holland!

We walked and souviner shopped and stopped in coffeeshops here and there along the way. Ended up at the Dampkring very tired and needing some rest, so we luckily grabbed a table and chilled for a while. Once we left there we walked around for a bit then decided to try out Rancho's Argentine Steakhouse for dinner. Last November when we were here, Dogbreath had turned us on to this place and it was pretty good. We had a good and filling meal and then headed back towards Central to catch the train to Haarlem before it got too late. Upon arriving in Haarlem we went straight over to the Frans Hal to see if Tony, our dealer friend, was working. And he was, and also surprised to see us again so soon:)) So we talked with him a little bit then we went to our room and went to bed.

This time we took a different route on our way out and went to the Dutch Joint first. We met Ferry, Nol's son, who was working there behind the counter. He is very nice and he even gave us a free lighter and a pack of papers. We wanted to use the vaporizor, but there was a piece missing on it and so we didnt get to use it so we were very disappointed. After leaving there we walked around town for a while and just checked out the scenery. During that time we noticed a place that has apartments for rent, Joops, so we went in to get prices. The guy at the reception was very nice and helpful, he even gave us a key to go look at one of the studios. It was extremely nice and the prices are great, considering we are paying the same thing just down the street for a cramped hotel room and we could have a nice, roomy apartment. I believe we will stay here next time we visit Holland, definitely. Later we went over to the Willie Wortel and met Marcel. We made plans with him to meet that evening at his house so we can get a big bag of weed. Technically the coffeeshops are only supposed to sell you five grams at a time and we want an ounce.

Marcel picked us up at 7:30 and we went to his house to party. He showed us all of his stash he keeps at his house, there are awesome amounts. And he let us video and take photos of all of the huge bags of weed and chunks of hash, it was incredible. He let us pick out our own buds from a gigantic bag of Power Plant buds, we got 28 grams and he let us have it for only 100 euro. That is an awesome deal, nowhere else can we buy it that cheap, I love Marcel, he is so kind and generous. After smoking copious amounts of weed and hash, Marcel gave us a ride back to our hotel, how sweet:))

Here is a pic of Nol and Randy striking a cue! at the original Willie Wortel's Workshop:)

This is the former location of the original Willie Wortel which has now moved around the block. The name is Willie Wortel Sinsemilla now.

Marcel is very proud of his dope and is happy to show off all he sells in his shop.

Today we wanted to try something different so we ventured first to the Empire Coffeeshop which is the closest one to our hotel. This shop has a cool pinball machine and a pool table which makes it a nice place to hang out and smoke. After that we stopped in at the Dutch Joint again and saw Ferry and chatted with him while we burned a few. Later on we headed to the Wortel and saw Marcel there. We made plans with him to go out tomorrow night to a local bar he likes to frequent to have a few drinks and party. He turned us on to a nice, fat, killer bud of Skunk Haze to smoke on, it was apx 3-4 grams. Ended up wandering over to the Global Hemp Museum on our way back to the hotel. Maruska was there and she was very nice to give us some souviner ashtrays with the Dutch Joint and Hempcity on them.

After relaxing in the room for a short while we ventured out to find something good to eat. Earlier we had saw a steakhouse not far from the hotel that we said we was going to try, so we went looking for it. The place was just on the next street behind our hotel so it wasnt hard to find at all, in fact, it is on the same street as Joops, the apartments we was looking at. It was amazingly delicious, the BEST steak I have EVER had, seriously, it was seasoned just right and cooked to absolute perfection! The place is called Wilma & Alberts and we will definitely be returning to this fine establishment - real soon:))

This is the Amadeus Hotel, located in the heart of the city centrum and the Grote Market. Excellent location, nice, helpful and friendly staff and very clean rooms. Not bad for the price. Want something bigger next time though, it was real small, almost claustrophobic!

The Euro is the curreny now used in the Netherlands.

This is the huge bag of Power Plant buds Marcel cut my bag out of, he was nice enough to let me pick my own buds!!

Off to Amsterdam today, on the way to the train station we popped in at the Frans Hals to catch buzz. Chatted with a hempcity message board buddy GanjaCat who is from England, he is in Holland evading charges for cultivation in the UK. Nol is helping him to stay here by providing a place to stay and food availble at the coffeeshop downstairs from where he is staying, how cool huh! The Dutch are very nice people who are very generous, all the ones we have met thus far anyway:))

On the train to the city, we plotted out our coffeeshop hit list. First we are headed to the Noon in search of some Blueberry nugs, my favorite strain and namesake, nonetheless:)) Unfortunately, to my dismay, they were out the sacred Blueberry buds...OMG, that sucked! So we settled for a different kind which had some big buds and nice aroma, but of course nothing compares to the essence of Blueberries at it finest. We purchased some White Melon at 22 euros for 5.3 grams, which is a real good price. The Noon definitely has the best prices on marijuana and has a nice vibe to it as well, a great place to hang out. The seats are so coushiny and comfortable, I really love this place, it is my favorite coffeeshop in Amsterdam.

We departed from the Noon and made our way around the corner to the Hard Rock Cafe to grab some lunch. It is a good place to eat, with nice staff and fast service (by Amsterdam standards). After a good meal it is time to burn some more joints so we head across to the Dampkring coffeeshop. It is always very crowded but once we scored 2 grams of some AK-47 for 14 euro we were able to get a table and chill out. We left there just wandered aimlessly for hours all around the city, shopping and checking everything out - the people, the canals, the buildings, I really love this place. Ended our coffeeshopping crawl at the de Kuil and smoked some off the vaporizor they have, it is awesome, will knock you on your ass bigtime. On our way towards Central Station we stopped in at Manhattan pizza and got a slice of heaven!

After getting back to Haarlem we go to the room to freshen up a bit, we have a date with Marcel at 9pm to go out for some drinks. We meet him at the Wortels and off we go into the streets of Haarlem with Marcel driving, it is total choas. But entirely fun! He drives like an insane person and it is scary as hell but at the same time a total blast:)) The bar he takes us to is just that, a bar that sells only alcohol, however it is weed-friendly so we had no problems burning down the house and boy did we. We smoked that place out, everyone had a contact!! Around midnight we departed and headed back to our room, what a great evening.

Here is the whole ounce:)

The Power Plant was smoked a LOT. Went through about 2 ounces during my entire stay!! Took home a lot of smoke in my lungs as a souviner:)

The yellow Grinder shown in the picture is a nice asset to have, works wonderfully to break up the sticky marijuana buds! Now rolling a joint is easy, with no gummy fingers:)

Located almost directly across from the central station in Haarlem, the Willie Wortel Sativa stays busy so Tony is always dealin'.

Here is Tony, my dealer friend who works at the Willie Wortel Sativa in Haarlem. He is showing us his stash he has to sell all day, must be nice:)

Yep, now this is real cool, a weed and hash coin machine in the WWSativa. All three of Nol's shops had them, but I didnt see any no where else.

Just put in your coin, used to be a 5nlg coin, a get a bubble with a gram of bud or hash. Enough to roll a joint for someone who dont have much cash:)

Here is the former Dutch Joint coffeeshop, now renamed by Nol Willie Wortel Indica. This is the 3rd of Nol's shops around town.

Made our way to the Wortel first thing to say bye to Marcel, he is going to England today with Nol and Maruska to help Colin Davies with the Dutch Experience. The DE is England's first coffeeshop which Nol helped back financailly and will be operated by Colin, who has been an activist for years and has provided medical marijuana to sick and needing patients all over the UK. After we said goodbye to all of them we left there and headed over to another coffeeshop we havent hit yet, the T'theehuis. It is a very very small place with only a few seats but a large menu, we got some of the House Special for 15 euro, 2.4 grams but it wasnt really all that good. While we were chillin and smokin we noticed a couple that looked familiar, they are also staying at the Amadeus hotel. We made conversation with them briefly and found out that they too are from the USA. They are travelling around for 3 months and will be visiting a few other countries as well, how lucky, I would love to do that however, I would only stay in Holland for the entire 3 months:))

Decided to into Amsterdam today and hit some places we havent made it to yet. After arriving at Central Station, we had lunch at the Burger King before heading out into the city. We directed our way to the Siberie and picked up 3 grams of some Jack Herer for 17 euro. It is very good smoke, nice taste and great heavy buzz, unfortunately they dont always have it in stock so that sucks. Left there with no real plans as where to go so we just walked everywhere taking in the crisp air, how wonderful it is to be here. It was starting to get late so we made our way back towards the station but before going back to Haarlem we stopped at Tivoli for some dinner. We got the veal, which is excellent, served parmagined(sp? with cheese) and a side of spaghetti. The service here is really good and the staff are very nice considering it is so close to Central, it is NOT a ripoff like the other places around this area. Namely, El Toro Doro, never go there because the food sucks and the staff are rude and obnoxious, located just a few doors down from Tivoli. After a very satisfying meal, we went around the corner to the Route 66 to have a smoke before taking the train back to Haarlem. While we were there we got some space cake and brownies which looked very tasty. We will have them for breakfast in the morning and see how good they really are!

Lucky Leprechaun

Started out going to the Frans Hal on our way to the station. Tony was working and we chatted with him before departing to catch the train to Amsterdam. Once we got outside the station we went down Damrak to Manhattan pizza for some lunch. Then we went a couple doors over to the de Kuil, naturally, for our ritual 'dessert'. After chilling there for a bit we went around the corner to the La Canna to get some souviners. It is a really nice and big place with 3 floors and several pool tables. We didnt purchase any weed there but we did get some nice souviners in the gift shop.

Wanting to see more of the city, we decided to take a canal tour. Ended up taking one that departed from Central Station and the boat got kinda crowded so we had to share a table with some other people. It costed 8 euro per person and the cruise lasted almost an hour so that was not too bad of a price. We did see parts of the city we hadnt been in and so it was really nice, what a great way to see everything. It puts it all in a totally different perspective, plus the tour guide gives a little narration during the trip that is very interesting.

After the canal tour we went walking and exploring again the places we hadnt been. We had a hard time finding the T- boat but once we did the place was closing and we had to leave. It looked real cool inside, roomier than I expected for a boat, but the hours sucked - it is still the afternoon! Oh well... so then we fianlly found the Bluebird, which was also difficult to find for some reason (too stoned maybe). It is a real nice coffeeshop with cool decor and very clean. I picked up some of the signature coasters they had everywhere, makes a nice, free souviner! We left there and jumped on the tram headed for the Waterlooplein area to find the Greenhouse in search of the ever popular Neville's Haze. But they were out of it so instead we bought some huge buds of Big Bang, 2 grams for 16 euros, and proceeded to the back where there was plenty of seating. It is a pretty comfortable shop but I think the prices are a little to high on everything - weed, drinks, souviners. They were in the middle of doing some remodeling so it will probably be better when it is finished.

After returning to Haarlem we rested back at the room for a while, all that walking has wore us out. Freshened up then decided to go out for dinner, but somewhere close, tired of walking today! So we went just a block around the corner to the Wilma & Albert's steakhouse. Once again it was absolutely heavenly, this is most definitely my favorite restuarant in Holland, or the world for that matter:)) Ended up back at the room stuffed full and ready to relax and then we just burned a couple of joints and crashed out.

This is Ferry, Nol's son, who works the deal counter at the Indica. Like father, like son:)

Well this is our last full day in mecca and depression is really beginning to set in, I don't want to leave this wonderfully beautiful counrty. We start off making a stop in at the Empire coffeeshop for our first buzz of the day and then on to the Frans Hal. Catch a train to Amsterdam for the last time, at least for a while, and it is soo sad as I sit dreamingly watching the world go by out the window, I hate leaving this all behind.

Once we get into Central station we grab a bite to eat at the BK and off for last coffeeshopping tour or our trip. First we walked to the Grey Area but they were closed so we jumped the tram at Dam Square and headed for the Leidseplein. We went straight to the Noon to score some more Blueberry nugs and they sure was yummy:)) Then we went across the canal to the Rookies and picked up some nice souviners - lighters, menu, hat and proceeded to smoke some joints. The munchies was overtaking our coffeeshops quest so we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe for a sinfully sweet dessert consisting of a brownie with a scoop of ice cream and drizzled all over with chocolate syrup. We noticed out the window while we were sitting there eating that there was canal tours departing with almost empty boats. So after finishing our tasty delite we went over to see when the next boat left and got us some tickets for the tour. And it turned out that there was only a handful of people on the boat when it departed which was much better. I got a lot of great photos and I was able to get up and go out on the back of the boat which made it fantastic for getting good shots of everything. After the tour was over we again caught the tram and headed out to the Waterlooplien again to see if the Greenhouse has the Neville's Haze in stock. This time we were in luck and so we purchased 2 grams for 27 eruos, which I think is way overpriced. It had a very unique smell and taste and it makes you cough your head off it is so strong. I liked it but it really isnt worth 13,50 a gram, some of the other strains I smoked were just as good and much cheaper. For instance, the Blueberry, Power Plant, and Jack Herer were all just as good if not better and all were at least half the price or less.

Before leaving Amsterdam we stopped in at Tivoli and had a wonderful dinner. Then we reluctantly boarded the train for the ride back to Haarlem, I hate to leave this terrific city. Upon returning to Haarlem we went to the Wortel to say our goodbyes to Marcel, Nol, and Maruska. They were all there and so we all got stoned and talked for quite a while. Marcel was nice enough to give us a stack (20) of souviner ashtrays for me to take home to all my friends:)) While there we purchased 3 more grams of Power Plant for 21 euro so we would have some for in the morning. After bidding us a farewell and a safe journey home we departed to our hotel with our awesome trip coming to an end:(

Departure January 31, 2002

We got up early to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, checking out, and so we proceeded to roll up the last of our goodies in several spliffs. I had a joint in each hand, Blueberry in one and a Power Plant in the other, trying to finish the last of it without wasting a single piece:)) Even though we had the window open our room was getting totally smoked up, but what the hell we were leaving today anyway. We had already called for a taxi last night and it arrived early with plenty of time to get to the airport even in all the traffic. We packed all our stuff into the trunk and departed for Schipol. Our flight was supposed to leave at 10:20 but after being delayed by an hour for takeoff, unfortunately it is time for that long sad, sad ride back to the US and I really do NOT want to leave! I am soo depressed, this is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Goodbye Holland, as a tear streaks down my cheek on takeoff, I vow to return!

Marcel is nice enough to take us to his growroom where there is some Power Plant growing.

Yep, there it is, 100 plants growing of the awesome Power Plant marijuana.

Although the smell is strong without getting this close, it is just too hard to resist.

This bud looks delicious!

Marcel picks a fan leaf and poses for the camera!