Amsterdam

gscs

one of the country i would like to visit for my rest of my life is amsterdam!
one thing i know about this country is marijuana. so that's the reason i want to visit there.
i am wonder, really can take this thing legally ? Laughing

is our member here from amsterdam? hope to get more info before a vacation .
thank for you sharing! Razz

Ucbet

Bru, stuffce

gscs I was working in Amsterdam for 2 weeks earlier this month. It's a very nice city and I made a point of spending what time I could exploring it. So here is my first impression of the place. Qualifications are that I don’t speak Dutch, haven’t gone too far out of my way to look at stuff, and usually leave the office at 9:00pm, so time is limited. I did smoke dope though.

First thing: It really looks a lot like it does on TV. The city centre is basically built like a cross-section of a malformed onion with concentrically arranged canals crossed by smaller canals radiating from the centre. Most of the houses in this area look exactly like something you would see in an old Monty Berman TV series; tall, narrow, old and with a loading crane thing sticking out of the top. It’s pretty cute. It’s also very difficult to get lost. I wandered lonely as a cloud a lot, but never lost my sense of where I needed to head to get back to my apartment.

Canals appear to be called “Grachts”; I lived in a flat off Prinsengracht. As far as I can tell all canals are grachts, but not all grachts are canals; some are streets. Streets that aren’t along canals seem to be called ___straat. My street is off Laurierstraat. Streets that cross big streets are called ___dwarsstraat, and, if there is more than one, they are numbered. I am staying on Eerste (first) Laurierdwarstraat. Got that? Every canal crossing is, of course, a bridge. The bridges are quite humpy, so that barges can pass under, and the edges of the arches are illuminated at night. The streets are mainly one-way and narrow, and stuffed with speed ramps, so traffic is minimal. Bicycles are the most common means of intra-city transport, which means that there are lots of slim, fit people around. Bicycles apparently are not constrained by any rules. They don’t stop at red lights, they don’t have to follow one-way signs, they don’t have to stick to the cycle lanes and off the pavement and they don’t give way to pedestrians.

I cannot get used to how spookily quiet the place is in the mornings. I walked to work and back. It’s about half an hour’s walk and I usually saw about 200 people each morning. In the centre of a major city. I get to work at 8:30 so there really should be more people around. Very weird. It's packed in the evenings, though.

The food is fabulous. I am used to good eatings; Brussels has so many Michelin stars it looks like the Milky Way, but the food in Amsterdam has been wonderful. Last night I had the best authentic Mughlai I have had since leaving the Middle East, and the night before that I had a Thai meal so convincing I went for a swim in the Gulf of Thailand afterwards. I had a local dish of veal kidneys on Tuesday that was excellent.

I am a poor tourist, probably because I am not on holiday. So I haven’t been into the Rijkmuseum, Anne Frank’s house, a brothel, or even Dam square. I have, however, been into a ‘coffee shop’. More out of curiosity than any urge to get stoned, I went into a place called ‘Rockerij’ (Rockery?) in Elandsgracht (which is a gracht, but has no canal) to scope it out. Sure enough, as I had heard, the guy had a little printed menu with various types of dope listed. A ready-rolled spliff costs EUR 2.5 or $3.45 or £1.70. That sounds like OK value to me, compared bang per buck vs. beer. Also available was a page of different types of grass and a page of hash types. Standard Moroccan hash is EUR7 a gram, Lebanese red or gold EUR8, and Nepalese Temple Ball EUR9. I saw Afghani black for EUR6 which sounded like great value, but I couldn't buy any more as it's not legal where I live. There was some Pakistani black for EUR12 which sounds like a rip-off, but who knows? This generally sounds pretty reasonable to me, though it comes out to about £33-43 / quarter oz. or $68-88. More expensive than I ever paid as a student, but perhaps that’s inflation. Apparently the ready-mades contain tobacco.

The shops around where I live are wonderful. There is a place that deals in the art of dead civilizations (named Dead Art), a pipe shop, a candle shop, a place that sells lighting from the 50’s and 60’s only, and Indonesian puppet shop and a shop that sells health food, herbal remedies and magic mushrooms (really).

The Dutch seem to be very nice people. Given how irritating all of us foreigners must be, the fact that they are unfailingly friendly and helpful speaks volumes. They all speak English with a hint of what sounds like an American accent, and while buying breakfast each morning (at a different place each time) I was always engaged in conversation by the women serving me. I was able to buy a sausage, bacon and fried egg sandwich one morning, by the way, from a truck parked by a canal, for 4 Euros. There was probably a half pound of meat in it and I consider it a wonderful deal.

I finished the job I was doing there, but will be back later this year. I’m going to try to convince my wife to join me. She would love it.

Bru, stuffce

One thing you don't often read about, is that the law is that any drugs in the same category as cannabis are legal. There are shops where you can buy magic mushrooms. Real, live, hallucinogenic magic mushrooms. Apparently they are a different category when they are dried so they can only be sold fresh, but still.

Sharpe

Amsterdam is a city, the country is The Netherlands or Holland. Yes, softdrugs are legal, but thats not all we have here. :)

Be prepared for a mess if you visit now though, the city is constructing a new subwayline right under the old city centre. It is a total mess. As I posted in another thread, as a tourist I would advise you to NOT use bikes there. As bru says there are special rules there, (read as: almost no rules) for bikers.

gscs

I would love to visit Netherland too for that same reason and perhaps going backpack around Europe to see what its like on a budget. But the weed is definetely legal. I'm 101% sure about it gscs Wink

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seem i have a buddy here Laughing

i'd watched from the movie, it's really legal as you buy a box of cigarettes!
but the way, i heard somewhere around thailand or don't know which part of asian are planting a lot! too Razz

gscs

gscs

Subsonic Sound

Years and years ago I went to stay with some friends of the family in the countryside outside Rotterdam. Rural Holland is really pretty, in an... odd way I'd have trouble defining. Everything is so flat and immaculately well cared for that the whole village we were in looked liked something out of a gardening catalogue. It was odd to get used to, as I'm from a valley in the North-west of England, where although there are some lovely gardens, most of the beauty is in the form of rolling moors, thick forests and unkempt meadows. It's an entirely different form. Very pretty nonetheless, though, and the people (and the cheeses) were lovely.

On the way home we spent a couple of nights in Amsterdam.

Now... I think I may have got a fairly bad impression of it - seen just the wrong places, taken a few wrong turns - but the feeling I got from it was NOT good.

Yes, the canals were quite pretty, but the prostitutes and the coke-fiends/heroin addicts around seemingly every corner were NOT. One man looked quite literally dead - if I'd seen him asleep I'd have called a coroner. As he was riding a bike, he probably was still alive, but his flesh was grey, with not a hint of colour, and his eyes were bloodshot to hell.

So the impression I got of the city was sadly... well. A bit of a pit. I've often thought the parts I saw probably didn't really do it justice, that by bad luck I happened to see some of the worst bits and few of the good ones. I know every major city has rough areas... so I feel I really should go back some day and have another look.

Sharpe

roxys_art

Ha!!! My friends went to Amsterdam a while back and absolutely loved the place! I mean, for obvious reasons of course. It was rather funny too, because they were there for about 2 weeks and upon returning I asked if it felt good to be back home. Their reply, "Hell no. I'm saving up enough money to go back again!!!"

gscs

branschorg

Amsterdam is so cool it should be a country haha Smile

I was there 5 years ago and smoked the best weed in the world for a week woowoooweeewaaa!

Sharky232

Amsterdam is cool, but hey, is it all about drugs? No.

Greets from Amsterdam by the way

bangala

I have been to Amsterdam few years ago but had no weeds lol, although I have visited some coffee shops (the place where they sell weeds).
Since every body is excited about drugs, I might try some on my next trip there Smile

jeremyslome

Sorry about the Korea post. I thought that went to the general forum. Amsterdam is fantastic. If you want to go there check out the Van Gogh Museum. Simply beautiful work. If you want to smoke (especially before the Van Gogh!) check out The Grey Area. It is a great coffee shop and the owners are really friendly. Also, they have great selection.

Enjoy!

<James007>Removed your previous post for you. Wink

</James007>

UtanCecilie

I live in Amsterdam and I simply adore it.

I finished studying before the summer and had to move back to where I come from, but I could only take it for two months. After that the calling to go back to the flat lands of Holland became too big and so I moved back Very Happy

It must have been the best decision I have ever made. Now I am working and enjoying the city as often as I can. I do not have a bike simply because I feel it is dangerous. I have never had a bike here, and I feel that I need to practice first before going out in the traffic. It feels kinda scary sometimes...

meet in rio

I've been to the Netherlands twice and have spent a few days in Amsterdam each time. The country is lovely: very green, flat and excellent for cycling. I can understand why people would be wary of cycling in the city, but once you're on the outskirts (and the city isn't that big, really, compared with somewhere like London) there are wonderful, broad cycle paths along pretty much every road. I was actually on a cycling holiday both times and was a little confused in Amsterdam (although I started out by the dockyards, so it wasn't too busy), but encountered no problems once I got out into the rest of the country and other towns.

Amsterdam seemed a lot nicer by day than by night. I went to the Van Gogh Museum the first time I was there (excellent if you're not really 'into' art, as they display all the pictures in chronological order and explain the progression very well) and the Rijksmuseum the second (they were renovating, so I only saw the 'choice' collection, but that actually worked out rather well as I didn't have much time and was able to see all the best bits in 2/3 hours). The public transport was fine, although I prefer the London Underground, to be honest!

The architecture was nice, I suppose, although I'm having trouble recalling just whast I liked about the look of the place now I'm sitting here!

You'll definitely have a good time. I so loved the country that I was actually considering doing a year at the Universiteit van Amsterdam as part of the SOCRATES scheme

I have to say, though, I did get embarrassed that everyone could speak flawless English and all I could do was mutter 'alstublieft'.

w1ck3dpl

Holland hmmm, Lived there the first 17 years of my life, and theve been the worst wich i compare how i live now,

Weed? Marihuana? dont bother it. it is the lamest drug i know. you just sit and smoke and smoke and get a eat kick (ok, its fun when you have a laufh kick).

The peaple are always thinking about money and about themselfs. When they are nice, Make sure you check you still have your wallet in your pocket. Wink

Well i live in poland right now, we dont have here nice roads or legal weed. But we do have nice peaple and the most amazing partys!, (ok AMsterdam now.

The only fact i cant ignore is that the dutch music techno is just WOUW. Tiesto, gielen etc. Sensation Amsterdam.

Greetz, Cool

anonex

It sure is a very nice city to visit, especially if you enjoy a certain herb. But after visiting adam a few times, i have seen it. There are many crazy people, and i will definitly go again there sometimes, don't get me wrong. But i couldn't imagine to life there. Not only would i be high all the time and forget about studying and learning. The city is just to overcrowded with tourists, and its kind of messy. I would rather life somewhere else in the netherlands, enjoying the occasional smoke in a nice and quite place. Maybe someday..

AtlanticDrive

i work in Amsterdam, i live near Amsterdam, if u guys want something to know, just ask me. Smile

greetings Jeroen

Coclus

Americans just want to go there because they can smoke weed legally there Wink

But apart from that it is a really interesting, multicultural city..

nivinjoy

I have heard that Amsterdam is the country with the maximum number of bicycles in the world...!!! I heard that it is like that nearly half of the traffic movements in Amsterdam take place by bicycles...!!!!!

And also have heard about Amsterdam for its famous symphonic orchestra...I think it's "Concertgebou"..Please correct me if i am wrong...!!!!

Anyway i believe that its an amazing place...!! Laughing

Bikerman

Just on a point of accuracy - Cannabis is NOT legal in Amsterdam, it is tolerated, and you must be 18 or over.
I have visited Amsterdam many times and, as someone has already said, it shouldn't be all about dope - the city has many other attractions.
That being said, yes, I did smoke dope over there, and very nice it was too. If you are going over to smoke then you would be well advised to remember a few basic rules - partly etiquette and partly legalities.
a) Don't smoke dope in the streets. It is actually not legal to do so (although you would probably just get a warning). More importantly it is disrespectful - there are many people in Amsterdam who don't smoke dope so it's rude to inflict it.
b) Don't try to buy coke, smack, meth, E or other 'hard' drugs. They can be had, of course, like all cities, but the law comes down hard on 'hard' drugs (Holland has no 'class' system for drugs - just hard and soft).
c) If you have not smoked much before then don't immediately roll a joint of the strongest skunk you can find (which will be very strong indeed - upwards of 20% THC). You will not enjoy yourself and may end up having a panic attack. My advice would be to start off with a bit of Jamaican weed. If in doubt, ask. Most coffee shops have a 'menu' of the different types of weed and hash and will be happy to advise on strength and the type of high you will get. A good starting point is 'Central' coffee shop - 5 mins from Central Station.
Here's a directory of all the coffee shops in the 'Dam. http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/ACDfrmGu.html
d) Most 'coffee' shops don't sell alcohol (there are a few exceptions like the Bulldog on the Leidseplein) and in my own opinion this is wise - you can't enjoy a nice smoke if you are ratted.
e) Get around and do other stuff - the Reichsmuseum is a must see and a boat trip along the canals is well worth the guilders...

PS - I should be quite clear. This posting is a direct response to the points raised, and an attempt to provide some useful information for those intent on visiting Amsterdam in order to smoke.
It is not a recommendation that you should do so. Smoking weed carries some risks, although these are often overstated. There are obviously the risks associated with smoking tobacco - lung cancer, heart disease and other respiratory illness. Recent research also shows that smoking weed or hash over a long period can double your risk of psychosis in later life.

ptfrances

I didn' enjoy a lot my trip in Amsterdam some years ago.
There is a lot of teenagers and young people but the ambiance is not so fun as I expected.

tijn01

I grew up in the Netherlands, which is the country not bloody AMSTERDAM!!
Anyways it is alright, generally speaking the people are fairly open minded and quite happy to see tourists. Good thing to realise is that Amsterdam is not really representative for the Netherlands. The country has so much more to offer than dope and hookers. So explore, take a train to another city, or hire a car and drive around a bit. You won't be dissapointed.

On the other hand I did decide to leave the place, to many people on too small an area. Stress, traffic jams.... stuff like that, so I've been living in Australia for the last 3 years. Love it!

Derek_Nicolas

Why does everyone want to go to amsterdam?

gugusm

I will be there in June Very Happy

Hmm I don't go there because of drugs and red Light District, but who knows... Razz

And Ajax is my favourite European Team. I can't wait to see Amsterdam, really.

caa-noise

Yes, Amsterdam nice place to visit. The museums are good, streets are wonderful. But the weather would not so good.

evvd1

Y ou should visit Amsterdam on Queen's Day, 31th of may! Alle streets are colored orange, music, drinks and food everywhere, and Amsterdam is partilally one big garage sale (Y)