queens day 2005

i'm feeling the electricity flow through my veins already man.....10 days of hopefull anticipation for my group. can't wait to party wit ya!!

 

Koopa - I hadn't considered the obvious dangers of a feather boa turning into a fireball but at least you'd have no problem spotting us.....:&

Ispica - You'll know Rome very well then, another fabulous city I'm sure you'll agree; the weed just isn't as easy to come by!

We're staying near the south west corner of Vondel Park so we hope that weather being good we'll start by maybe having a picnic there and wander to off to a boat party we've been invited to (I'm not sure where! - tba). I'll have to make some effort to find you guys out so I will confirm our plans and see if I can't take us on a wee detour down your way.

 

for those in the know about the par-tay queensday night.

 

That houseboat rocks. i rented that one two years ago (if its the one with the dude who designs yachts and used to live in New Zealand)

have fun, and say hi to him from me

 

sounds like a good review. The owner seemed really nice. To bad you can't be there.......9 days to go for me!!!

 

Hi Shiny J,


Rome is an incredible city but I went to a Catholic school and weed was strickly off limits as was Amsterdam as a whole. This years return to Amsterdam is really starting to shape nicely, hanging out at Vondel park is one of my favorite activities, the priests at my ala mater would definitly not approve.

What's your comrades connection with Rome? I was there from '74-'76.

 

Ispica


Ah! As a rather lapsed Catholic myself I can relate to that, I was an altar boy once (even served mass for JPII when he visited Ireland in '79) - it's slightly surreal now....!

Our friend Leo is studying Music in Rome (he's a lot younger than you or I) but he's actually from Calabria down south. How's your Italian then? Despite visiting Italy on a regular basis I'm still crap - the funniest example was when I saw a cat and pointed it out to Leo saying 'catzzo' instead of 'gatto'.

Catzzo means cock. :&

 

gettin there, save up those brain cells....

 

to all you houseboat party goers !!! just so we're all on the same page here mopperman has a roomate in amsterdam who has just in the past few days heard about this Queen's Day bash.help him out of the dog house. Please be courteous and BYO so we don't have to shut down too early making runs.
Life's Good !!! Oh, mopperman your bankin' big time-luv ya

 

Shiny J

Yes, I have fond memories of Catholic school, wouldn't mind that Pope gig though. My Italian is an odd mixture of Sicilian and Italian, I think I've since lost my Roman twang.


Hey nblaze,

I agree with you, the house boat bash sounds way cool, but of course common courtesy dictates that one brings more then one takes or else we'll all end up nursing a warm beer all day. Ya never know where the winds of Amsterdam will blow you. Since I've never meet anyone from this houseboat group I thought I'd just check in at de kuil and see what supplies I can contribute.

 

nblaze, your funny!! you can make the beer runs for us so we won't have to close down everytime, problem solved o'woman o'mine. what doghouse? they don't use dog houses in A-dam lol

 

LOL....no worries man. we're americans! excess is our mantra baby!!!!!! You wait and see the size of the blunt our group twists up, we'll smoke the whole houseboat out for over an hour off of it.

I Promise.....PLEASE....hold me to it

koopa

 

i tried one once at schipol in a roll,seems to be mincemeat in a sort of breadcrumb or deep fried sausage casing, absolutely foul, dosent matter how stoned or pissed i get im not touching one on this trip.I'll stick to wholefood maybe try a herring but cant eat it in traditional deep throat dutch way.
ps still cant find my nirvana or led zep tye dye,shit will have to splash out on new one, icould spend that on weed.

 

We are absolute queens day virgins, worst yet first trip to Amsterdam , and even worse we born Americans. Love reading all the posts on this subject and do appreciate the suggestions, On that note does anyone have any suggestions for us virgins?

 

De Kuil (pronounce de cowl) is a coffeeshop located near La Canna (btw the
niewendijk and the damrak (between central station and damsquare) see map at www.coffeeshopdirect.com

Its a very cosy shop serving both smoke and drink and there will be a meetup of about 10-15 americans there on FRIDAY April 29th at 4pm (queensday is the 30th so don't get the days confused) see the queensday thread on the amsterdam forum at hipforums. I will be going with 3 others.....2 guys and a girl. We plan to meetup at de kuil, meet fellow americans, chill and celebrate together, and possible start a coffeeshop "pub crawL" from that starting point.

heres some advice to start ya off with:

Post office closes at 12pm Saturday (but its queens day so its closed this
Saturday) and closed Sunday.

Customary to turn cellphone off in restaurant

Tips for food and taxis are usually included (add 5-10 percent if wanted)
1-2euros for bouncers on the way OUT of a night club is STANDARD TIP

I have made the habit of ordering all of my meal upfront at restaurants. Beer,
appetizer, main course and dessert. Getting the attention of servers is next to impossible and even if a regular who tips well it does not help. Tipping seems at time to be an insult. Remember amsterdam is a tourist city...there will always be new idiots eating at the tourist restaurants so they don't care about repeat business...hence HORRIBLE SERVICE. also note, america has the best customer service in the world (because we are now pathetically a service based economy) so don't be surprised when you are dissappointed by the customer service.

Also the locals will seem a bit standoffish to you. they are almost like a bunch of people that are soooo smoked out that they are a bit defensive, bitchy, and don't like to be bothered at times! when you ask questions, most will answer them but do so with an annoyed sounding voice. this is typical...expect it and don't let it bother you on YOUR VACATION

Tip: Always bring your own plastic bag with you when you go boodschappendoen (shopping in supermarket), otherwise you have to buy additional plastic bag to carry your stuff!! Agh, boodschappendoen in Holland is always interesting!!! There is a big supermarket just west of the DAM SQUARE.

roi bois thee (this is a great tea which contains no caffeine, and helps you digest food)

bathroom signs:
HEREN- MEN DAMES – WOMEN

Tip: When shopping somewhere busy don't expect the Dutch to stand in line. They cram around the counter trying to get served. If you wait politely the chances are you won't get served. So, when the shop assistant asks "Wie is er aan de beurt?" (Who's next?) you have to fling up your arm and shout "Hiero!".

if using the trams, buses or metro.....you should either buy a multiple day pass that gives you unlimited rides, or you can buy a "strippenkaart" at any newspaper and cigarette shop. its a paper strip of tickets that you stamp ON THE TRAM to ride. if the tram has a conductor YOU HAVE TO go to the conductor and let him stamp your strippenkart. He is usually in the back of the tram. YOu'll know which ones have conductors. On the trams you'll see yellow metal boxes with a slot in them for stamping the strippenkart. if the slot is blocked with a metal bar, that means that there is a conductor on board. if you want to be a scam artist...put some magic tape or a bit of candle wax on the strippenkart over the ticket area you would stamp. After it has been stamped in the yellow box (do not put tape on the
strippenkart and then hand it to a conductor), the ink will be easy to wipe off, but do wait until you are no longer in the tram to take the tape off. Everytime i go to amsterdam i see tram cops who randomly check tickets to make sure you stamped. they are not on every tram of course (i usually see them 1 time every 2-3 days of tramming) they usually have burgandy colored blazer jackets on...so if you see em make sure you are doing everything properly...or you'll get fined. don't get nervous these inspectors just make sure that the tram system isn't abused (because you could easily ride any tram that didn't have a ticket conductor in it for free by not stamping your ticket. (its an honor system that some abuse..hence the need for security) also note that a stamped strippenkart is good for either 45 minutes or 1 hour. also note that you must stamp one strip + one strip per zone traveled in. amsterdam is
divided into districts or zones. if you travel on a tram within the zone...you
must use 1 strip (credit) on the strippenkart. if traveling to a neighboring
zone..2 strips...etc. If you want to spend one or more days exploring Amsterdam, then a 24-, 48- or 72-hours ticket could be for you. get em at the gvb

The GVB hours tickets are available:
• at GVB Tickets & Info on Stationsplein, opposite Central Station
• at the mobile Tickets & Info sales point at Bijlmer station
• from the ticket machines in the metro stations
• from tram- and busdrivers and conductors (24-hours ticket only)
• from the ticket machines on tram 5 and metro 51 (24-hours ticket only)
• at VVV tourist offices


The ticket 24 hour + tickets only needs to be stamped once, at the beginning of your first journey, and is then valid on all GVB day and night services for the period indicated. These tickets are particularly attractive if you plan to make several journeys a day by public transport.


The Dutch and perhaps other European countrys now use extreamly
effective "Electronic Sniffers" to check virtually every package and letter that leaves the Neatherlands. Mail within the Neatherlands is not sniffed generally.
Vacuum sealing appears to work well against the sniffers; but its no longer wise to mail packages home. Even a letter sent first class from Amsterdam may take three weeks to clear customs before its mailed.

The post boxes in the Netherlands are bright red and hard to miss. Post offices are open Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm. Postage on a postcard is roughly .50 Euros to anywhere, although if you are sending one across the ocean it can take roughly a week to get to its destination. Make sure you mark your envelopes "air mail," "par avion," or "per luchtpost" or it probably won't get there! To send an international letter or postcard, drop it in the overige slot of a mailbox.


PIC
Enge Kerksteeg 3 (420 73 28).
The Prostitution Information Centre right in the middle of the Red Light district is run by ex-prostitute Mariska Majoor. There are leaflets, magazines and books, and even a mock-up of a typical window room. There's always someone on hand to answer any questions that you might have, in exchange for a small donation to the Centre's funds.
Open Tue-Sat 12am-7pm.

De Bananenbar
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 37 (622 46 70).
The owners of the Casa Rosso bring you another famous institution, De Bananenbar. Active audience participation is encouraged as bananas are transformed into erotic devices by the hostesses. Popular with tourists and stag parties. There's a semi-negotiable cover charge, but once you're in the drinks are on the house.
Open Mon-Sat 10pm-2am (3am weekends

Coffeeshops to visit and what to buy where:

The Noon ~~ Blueberry
De Kuil ~~ Shiva
Grey Area ~~ Yellow Cab, Grey Mist, bubblegum, doublebubble, bubbleberry, ak47, grey mist crystals
Rookies ~~ Atmosphere
Abraxas ~~ Brownies and cake
Dampkring ~~ Moonshine Hash
Greenhouse (3) ~~ Super Silver Haze, Arjans Haze
Dolphins ~~ Royal Dolphin Hash
Chocolata ~~ Chocomist weed and skuff, hash HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!spacecakes, bonbons
Siberie ~~ Jack Herer
Bushdoctor ~~ Ice-o-lator Hash, haze crosses (blackdomina x haze)
Katsu ~~ Sage, Water Hash, NYC Diesel
Bluebird - almost everything! warlock, sage, jamaican redhair skunk, great hash menu too

Hash ~ #1 Kinds to sample
Moonshine
Nepalese Temple Balls
Royal Dolphin
Iceolator
Water
Honey Moroc
Bubble

Marijuana ~ #1 Kinds to sample
BlueBerry
Shiva
AK- 47
Jack Herer
NL 5 x Haze x Skunk
Nevelle's Haze
White Widow
Purple Haze
Super Silver Haze
Grey Mist
Kali Mist
Bubblegum
Northern Lights
Super Skunk

Restuarants to try
Tivoli
Gaucho's
Hard Rock Cafe
Iguazu
Rancho
Manhattan Pizza
Mr. Coco's

Coffeeshop 36

Apple Jack for 7.5 euros best Bubblegum weed ever best Ice-o-lator we ever
bought in Ams 2g white widow for think 14 euro Bubblegum Polm

Hillstreet Blues

Black Mombasa White Widow weed and a little Manali hash surveillance camera in the chill out lounge

Future

Haus hash was also a good buy 1.5 gram for 5 euro. They sell Skuff from
very "high" quality best Skunk in town


De Kuil Coffeeshop

One of my favorite places to hang out - De Kuil has a full bar and it is a nice
place to hang out, has good local feel to it. Also, it is very clean- even the
toilets! And the staff are very freindly and helpful. There is a pool table and
they have board games you can use. They have killer vaporizor available to use that will kick your ass! Their Shiva bud rocks, absolutely killer stuff! The BEST place to use the vaporizor is the De Kuil coffeeshop

De Kuil (pronounced "cowl") retains a traditional cafe-bar look, known locally as a "brown café". In continental Europe, café tends to mean a bar or what we English call a pub. In Amsterdam, a café-coffeeshop is a place where alcohol and cannabis are available. There aren't many of these places around and De Kuil is one of the best. It's an old building with beams across the ceiling. There is a small seating area by the window and then a long bar along the left wall. Behind the bar is a big, smart wooden cabinet and opposite the bar are some tables with tall bar stools. At the far end of the bar is the dealer's counter where a range of quality weed and hash is available.
Beyond the bar is a lower section with a pool table. There is also a microscope to examine your buds. Music is pre-programmed from a selection of hundreds of tracks. Classic rock is the order of the day with a special place for Frank Zappa. His initials are on the window and there are 4:20 signs around the place reflecting de Kuil's popularity with American tourists.
Another distinctive feature is the friendly bring-your-own food policy. This is
cool because Oudebrugsteeg, where de Kuil is located, has a good selection of take- away food and cake shops (some open very late).

HIP FORUM MEETUP GROUP 4PM ON FRIDAY 29th AT DE KUIL


Hunters Coffeeshop
Warmoesstrat 24: good prices on 5 gram bags of grass and hash

Kadinsky: cheap marrocan special hash

Central: We asked for well cured gear and bought 5 grams of Orange Bud, just for 25 euros. Most weed comes in 25 euro's for 5 (3-4 for hash) grammes or 12.50 for 2.5 grammes. Opens at 7am. Nepalese black hash 3.4 for 25 euro

Stones Corner: Good orange bud and white widow

Greenhouse Effect: Greenhouse Special, hazes, Hawaiian mist, volcano vaporizers, slyder, Indian hash

Sheeba: Caramelo Hash, Silver Haze, super skunk pre rolled spliffs, white widow, bubblegum, skuff

Baba: Nepalese temple ball was excellent at 11 euros per/g

Dread Rock : We have bought some Scuff there before and wasn't disappointed, but it is normally a place I go after visiting other coffeeshops for my stash. I have spent a few Queens day celebrations here too, they have a bar outside and the music on the bridge makes for a great time and view. You will like. Four stars. Potent AK47 great hash

Old Church: Old church special, I grabbed 2 coffees with marihuana for 3.80 Euro each, and 2 pre-rolled of Skunk joints for 12 Euro. They were a large roll too! hours of talking, sitting, sipping and looking, followed by some, great Northern Lights x Haze, royal cream hash is light blonde and 12 euros per gram, hash and weed milkshakes, famous jack herrer quality…GET HERRER HERE


222: A great little coffee shop, best seats in the place are behind the DJ booth. Good deals of there own 222 at 3 gram for 10 Euro, skuff, rave info,

Nes: AK47 ice-o-later, read about a person on the net who got scammed by the two staff on, who managed to palm him off with a counterfeit note. Watch out for the guy with dreads and the petite barmaid with
shoulder length brown hair, obviously a scam they have going. pint of Leffa
Belgium Blond, some of the best ale in the world (2 euro) don’t open till 5pm


Greenhouse Centrum: Hawaiian snow, king hassan hash, kalimist, super silver haze

Bluebird: If you go to that area there is another coffee shop called Reefer that has some great Bubblegum and Isolator hash, SAGE, wachter cream hash from Nepal, kali mist, warlock, star wars

Rusland: Strong hash

Abraxas: Get Hawaiian haze, manila cream and peruati balls

MoonshineA+ from the Dampkring

HET BALLONNETJE: near artis zoo and university of Amsterdam…more southeast than greenhouse namaste. An old favourite of mine, Ballonnetje was first recommended to me by a Dutchman I met on the train taking me to Amsterdam for the first time in the 1980s. This is a great place to spend an afternoon away from the tourist centre. There is a balcony-style upper level and a terrace. The best place to be, though, is the table in front of the window where you can look into the vivarium and spot the small, brightly-coloured, frogs.


AMNESIA:
Without doubt the most improved coffeeshop in my mind over the past few years. Everything I've bought from that place over the last year or so has been fabulous. MK Ultra, Stella Blue, Shiva, Sour Diesel, Amnesia Haze, Silver Blue, incredible quality. Great hash too. Super friendly, knowledgeable service from Sissy and crew. Shop itself is spacious and reasonably comfortable, but it's the smoke and service that makes it. An absolute must visit!

 

Very nice Koopa, it's something I wish I read before my first trip! Was that off the top of your head or do you offer guided tours too?

You may have more experience there than me but I'm not sure I agree with your comment on the locals - perhaps in the tourist traps they are off-handish but in general I've found the people friendly enough.

Oh and don't forget, you may have the Irish/French/Italian/English/Dutch group dropping in our your American group - Doing our bit for Euro-US relations!

 

holy shit koopa, sounds like youve been to amsterdam before. Pretty good job but I must agree with shinyj that the locals are much nicer than the workers/locals in the tourist trap areas.


Shinyj: happy to have the euro connection on board for our meet, since our present goverment isn't to good at euro/usa relations, so us normal folk must make the effort to par-tay with brother across the pond.

itssonnysworld: so you ready to lose your amsterdam cherry? to bad you feel sorry that you were born american. you could always move to uganda and denounce your citizenship or meet us in Amsterdam and par-tay at the dekuil on friday the 29th. LOL read the thread and get all the details.

 

itssonnysworld


I wouldn't get too hung up on being America, yeah, we got a bad reputation these days but Amsterdam is a hip city and most of the people you'll run into understand the universal brotherhood of "hippness."

I found the locals a pleasure to hang out with. The Brits are a blast, as are the Irish, I think it has to do with the Pub mentality.

Another tip would be don't limit yourself to the hooch cafes, I like to catch a buzz and then head over to a bar like the Tara. Some hooch cafes can get tedious, especially during tourist season. You can tell when you run into a novice because they spend their entire trip talking about how cool it is to get high in public. I mean you wouldn't go out drinking in the states and spend the evening talking about how cool it was to be drinking in public. Most Amsterdam veterns have gotten over the novelty and just have a great time.

Vondel park is also a very cool place to take in the sun, picnic, listen to some tunes at the outdoor cafe. That's my favorite spot.


Lastly, watch out for Dutch design, form does not always follow function.

 

Hey KOOPA
so how many times have you been

 

Thanks all, I feel quite ready now to blend in with all, well as best I can, Im sure once underway ill stand out but only in a good way. And Uganda naw dont think the clubs are that good there...lol