6 November 2012

[Dogbreath]

The last day.

A walk to Brouwersgracht, one of the more scenic and pleasant canals. We ask an elderly gentleman to take our photo next to the canal on this mild sunny day.

Time for a smoke, so we go to Barney’s Farm. The place is almost empty. We finish off the Laughing Buddha. It is so pleasant; we just sit, ruminate and watch the world go by.

An older couple about our age stop in, grab a seed catalog. They sit down, and remain intensely focused studying the catalog. We overhear their conversation. Red says they are from Boston, (there are no “R’sâ€￾ in their vocabulary) and thus they likely live not far from us. A couple doing the exact same thing Red and I did a week ago. If this were not our last day, we would have introduced ourselves.

We walk back Haarlemerstraat. We pass an art shop with fun looking cardboard Amsterdam canal houses. These would be fun to have for Christmas, or perhaps put display in the office over the holidays.

On to Leidseplein…. We have a quick sandwich, and then walk past Muntplein to Kalverstraat for shopping. Red is looking for black stockings.

Then we move to Puccinis Chocolates. They look irresistible, and the pricing makes us wonder if they are illegal. We purchase a small box.

Then a stop at a bakery for some stoopwaffels to take home.

We stop at 420 café for a smoke, enjoying the pleasant laid back vibes. Time for a catnap, so back to the hotel.

One final evening trip into the night…. It is a dreadful evening, cold, windy rainy. Our destination is Thai Bird Snackbar. We arrive, only to find a packed house with a line outside. So we stroll to Waarmoesstraat, and stop in at Burger Bar.

Its late now, and we must get up early the next day.

We go to 420 café for a final nightcap. Red has designated 420 as her favorite coffee shop. Tonight this place is very quiet. We finish the Dr. Grinspoon, and the last of the Laughing Buddha. Properly stoned, we just sit there and soak up the atmosphere.

We summarize our trip.

Red has fallen in love with this city. Fallen hard. I am grateful to have found a woman who not only enjoys grass, but is perfectly content to enjoy nothing more than simply visiting coffee shops. And for the opportunity to show her this unique city.

For ten days we had access to some of the finest weed available. Something we greatly appreciate. At home we rarely smoke during the day, though I smoke every evening. Red is more of a weekend smoker. But we are tired, and we have smoked far more than we do at home. And for ten days, that is a good thing.

We observe that we did absolutely nothing on this trip. Nothing. Nothing meaning simply walking around, without a destination, visiting coffeeshops and eating. Nothing historical or anything to further our understanding of Dutch culture. Are we acting immature for our age? Nay, we clearly say. Using grass keeps us young, we declare, as we laugh about our logic.

We finish our last smoke. We sit there for ten minutes, saying nothing, soaking up the last of Amsterdam. We are happy and content. What more can one ask for?

Thus we end our trip at 420 Café; right where we started our trip.

There is no place like Amsterdam

Life is goeden.

Dogbreath

[chichi123]

And I thank you for the excellent posts!!!!

btw we met at the 10 years Channel party right?

[worldcitizen1723]

Really enjoyed your posts

Have a safe trip home!

[moe.]

Thanks for taking the time to post on the spot reports. It was truly appreciated and enjoyed.

[Sam]

Great report, thank you for posting.

[bigbird]

I enjoyed your trip reports. It has been several years since I have made the trip to Amsterdam and Haarlem and your reports bring back the memories. I was also at the 10 year anniversary and have my tshirt ready for the next trip!

[Banks]

Nice read, DB... always have enjoyed seeing Amsterdam through your words... the years away are too many... :)

[boneymaroni]

There's nothing like a great trip report to bring comments from old-timers. I've enjoyed reading your posts. I believe we may have met at the 10 year party and also the Wortels by the train station in Haarlem.

Good to know that moe. and bigbird are still kickin'!

[slither]

We observe that we did absolutely nothing on this trip. Nothing. Nothing meaning simply walking around, without a destination, visiting coffeeshops and eating.

There is no place like Amsterdam

Hear hear. Such is a good trip to Amsterdam.

We make the rounds, revisit our favourite spots and always manage to experience someplace new.

Thanks for the pleasant narratives, DB.

[Weldon]

Great reports, man. Amsterdam doesn't sound the same as before. I'm curious about Katsu, Grasshopper, Get Down To It (off Leideseplein). Dutch Flowers, Tweede Kamer, Dampkring? Haarlem sounds like the place to score if you don't want to go to the packed Amsterdam cafes. How was your hotel?

All the best and I hope our paths cross again, either here or there.

[Dogbreath]

Hi Weldon....

We stayed at the Movenpick Hotel..... a somewhat new, very modern four star facility on the waterfront..... very nice hotel, but unfortunately, it is off away from the centrum in a sterile modern office building area about a 15 minute walk from central station. With the help of Docski, got the hotel for US $81. per night.... tried the Priceline name your price route for the first time.

The coffeeshops did seem more crowded this trip then I recall..... especially as one approaches a weekend. You can easily find seats on a Monday or Tuesday, but as the weekend approaches, finding a place to park one's butt becomes more a of a challenge.

Amsterdam is the same Amsterdam we have grown to love over the last couple of decades.

This weekend I head to Denver for a few days (conference), and my gut tells me Colorado...... a state which impressed the hell out of me during first visit two years ago.... will become the new cannabis focal point in the US. As nice as Colorado is, Amsterdam has and will always continue to be a special, unique place for me....

Dogbreath