I'll try and do this as matter of factly as i can. My memory is hazy though so it may not make sense, but i'm sure you'll get the idea.
I have no idea what anything cost apart from a few, if this bothers you sorry, but rest assured i paid more than i should of for 1 gram of whatever it was!

Some general thoughts then my trip report;

Smoking ban is bullshit. They just don't want tobacco on the table, they don't seem to care in most if you're using it. Ultra touristy ones care though, but generally they're avoided anyway.
I can't believe the price of food in Amsterdam now, tea etc. aswell has rocketed. Dissapointing as it's now almost got too expensive to even stay in Amsterdam. (for the price of my 2* in Amsterdam for 5 nights i could of got a 4* in Haarlem for 10!)
Amsterdam was incredibly busy with tourists. Too busy. My opinion is to avoid in Summer. Oct/Nov or March/Apr when i went before was so much better.
South of the city, Liepsplein (sp?) area seemed quieter, but not by much.

Amsterdam

I arrived in Amsterdam at 11am on the 9th of July via DFDS seaways ferry Newcastle -> Ijmuiden then a bus to Amsterdam center.
Can't fault the boat, minimal customs and an alright cabin to yourself. £70 return each i think we paid.

After getting off the boat we headed to Prix D'Amis and purchased our first weed of the day.
I bought Sour Diesel which i'd give a 7/10. Nice aroma and nicely grown but over-nuted so it didn't burn well.
My missus bought Amnesia Haze which got 8/10. Beautiful weed this, can see why everyone is raving about it. Amazing taste and soaring sativa high, was beautiful. Got an 8 cause it could of been stronger, but still nice.
My mates bought Chocolope, which is the fashionable strain at the moment, it got 7/10. Better can be found elsewhere. I wasn't too impressed with this strain, smells faintly of coco and tastes peppery. I didn't get it. Most sativa's such as SSH or Amnesia were so much nicer. Fashion eh!

After this we went and checked into our hotel and got everything sorted.

We then walked down to Dampkring and sat in there for 20 or so minutes. I was incredibly dissapointed in this coffeeshop.
Never been before and i'd heard so many good things from members here and in other forums.
I went up and bought 1g of cheese, after it looking a bit small i ask the guy to weigh it infront of me, after a little bit of argument and me saying well i won't pay for it then he weighs it and it's 0.85g, not 1.00g as i was going to pay for. I put it down to mistake and went back and smoked my full 1g of cheese. Cheese - 6/10. Tasted of UK cheese, smelled of it but it just didn't pack the punch. Pleasant none the less.
My missus also bought some Mexican Haze - 16 week flower it said. Oooh i said! But it wouldn't burn...
Mexican Haze - 3/10. It got 3 because it was marijuana and not lawn cuttings, that's it. Weed wouldn't burn in a blunt, joint, bong or pipe. It seemed a tad wet and after explaining this to the bud tender he just asked us to leave.
Awful experience. Will not be going back.

We then wandered down to Dolphins where my missus got 1g of White Dolphin and my mate bought 1g of Northern Lights (both 10e a gram).
The white dolphin is a nice strain, 9/10 it got given. Coated in crystals and a really narcotic slightly hallucinagenic high. Makes your mind wobble. The Northern lights was strong but had no real taste or aroma, 6/10.
Coffeeshop is a bit odd, nice bit downstairs but it was closed when we went in. Woman screamed at us to sit down or leave. We left.

I was going to sort of do a step by step, but after this one i'm at a blank to what we did.
So, remaining' 'dam coffeeshops in a list;

Grey Area. I love this place! Small but elegant and the weed can't be beaten.
Tried; Grey Berry - 10/10 - Bubblegum x blueberry. 8.50e a gram or 16e for two! Best weed of the trip this, beautiful middle of the road hybrid but the taste and aroma - oh my god!
Chiesel - 10/10 - Glad they had this as i'm growing it as we speak. Beautiful weed. 13e a gram i think. Tastes of cheese with a slight hint of chemical coming from the NYCD male. Packs one hell of a punch though, loved it!
Yellow Cab - 9/10 - Billed as nice daytime weed, does exactly as it sais on the tin. Really nice for sitting in Vondelpark with. 8.50 a gram.
Grey Mist - 9/10 - Indica that'll make you turn to stone. Lovely though.
Chocolope - 9/10 - Best in 'dam in my opinion, maybe on par with Greenhouse Effect's. Lovely smell and taste but again, i don't get why it's everywhere, there's better strains imo.

Amnesia. Just round the corner from Grey Area. Really nice people here, may be my new favourite coffeeshop. Bud tender is a really nice guy and the waitress is even nicer. 5 or so volcano's that are free to use. Comfy and nice. 2 tables outside aswell facing the canal.
NYCD - 10/10 - Holy shit. Best NYCD ever. 11e a gram and it was fucking beautiful. Only way i can describe it, fucking beautiful!
Pink Kush - 9/10 - Great indica, really nice taste and buzz. A floaty indica, really nice.
Morning Glory- 8/10 - Lovely sativa for the morning, tasted of lemons. I liked it, not too sure why i gave it 8 but i did... Good wake up weed.

Barneys Coffeeshop. Wanted to head round and try Sweet Tooth as i've got it going at the moment. Nice coffeeshop, at the far end of the high street so it was busy and touristy.
Sweet tooth - 7/10. Tried it and liked it but their growing skills weren't upto much, needed a longer cure i think.

Greenhouse Effect. Lovely coffeeshop with bar/hotel next door. I really like this place, weed is grown with Biobizz grow, bloom and alg-a-mic apparently! Nice thin coffeeshop, good if you can get the window seat.
Supersilver haze - 9/10 - Tried this after Fresh_air_inspector said it was nice, beautiful SSH. Best i've ever smoked, superb!
Chocolope - 8/10 - On par with grey area, same weed really.

Coffeeshop 36. Again i like this place, has great canal-view seating up the back and for 2.10 for a hot chocolate with cream you can't complain! Nightmare to get a seat in though.
Blueberry - 9/10. Still my missus favourite blueberry in 'dam. Still mine too. Lovely fruity smoke, just what you'd expect.

Hillstreet Blues. Great place for chilling on your own - not for talking to strangers as it's very set apart and the leather seats they've got in their now don't allow for much cross-table chat.
Top Nepal Hash - 9/10 - Amazing fruity hash. Made you smile instantly and lasted for hours. Great stuff. 9e a gram.
Zero-Zero Hash - 7/10 - Not as pure here but just as strong. 26e for 6 grams. Went almost instantly though. No taste but the aroma when it was being burnt was fucking amazing. Reminded me of the central market in Marrakesh when i was there.
Hillstreet Special - 7/10 - Nice filler, great tasty weed but not that strong.
Bubblegum - 7/10 - Strong stone but less taste, needed more of a cure. The budtender admitted that to me though.

Centraal. Great place opposite central station to stock up on filler.
Buddha - 6/10 - Guy said it was an F2 of laughing buddah. 1.9g for 12.50e. What i'd expect from centraal, nice filler as above.

Doors. First time here and really liked it! Budtender was awesome, tunes were impeccable and it's a really social coffeeshop so everyone got talking which i liked.
Morrison Haze - 8/10 - Great haze, it was raining and i must of spent 15 minutes watching water droplets hit a puddle. I reaaaaly enjoyed it though! Try this one if you're in 'dam and chill out in doors, great place! If it's the wee bar tender/bud tender don't joke about his height. He finds it funny but then pelted me with roaches, , amusing guy. (I'm 6'4" ish and he must of been 5 foot).

Abraxas. Jumped in here as i'd heard good things about their hash. Bought some Abraxas special and i shit you not i don't remember the next 3 hours.
Abraxas Special - 8/10. It would of got 10 but it fucking annihalated my memory and senses. Maybe too good? Tasted awesome.

Didn't buy anything from the remaining ones but i'll list them and tell you what they're like.
Rokerij. Lovely place, greatly decorated and a friendly clientele. Got talking to alot of people in here from across the world which is what i like doing. Had loads of buddha's and hindu stuff everywhere, very dark aswell. Great atmosphere.
Betty Too Quite a nice Betty Boop themed coffeeshop, huge lifesize statue of her upstairs which is funny. Loads of memorabilia on the walls. Budtender was an amazingly friendly guy, talked to him outside for hours. Pay this place a visit.
Stones Cafe Not the coffeeshop but the cafe, as always a great full english for 8.50e and you can smoke inside. Has outside seating aswell at the back for 10 or so people on benches.
Bulldog Palace Loads of outside seating, waitress service. Great people watching as it overlooks the Liedsplein. Opposite Boom Chicago's place.
Overkant Hortus Scant place, very little seating. Bought a can of coke and left. Seemed alright though.
420 Cafe Nice place, always busy though. Good tunes.
Place opposite 420 which i forget the name ofDe Kroon (ta FAI) Liked this place, had a sort of "buy weed or leave" policy though. We seemed to be alright just buying drinks but the rest of the people weren't. Odd. Nice to us though.

Haarlem
On the third and last days we also went to Haarlem. I can't sing this places praises enough, 7euro return on the train per person, 15 minutes from Amsterdam Central Station. Beautiful sleepy town, hardly any tourists. Still lined with canels and stuff. Lovely.

Birdy. Five minutes walk north out of the station. Across a grass lined canal and you're there. Lovely place. Great budtender, great deals. just generally fucking fantastic. GO THERE. Basically.
Super Skunk - 10/10 - 10e for 1.3gram or 25e for 3.9g (same prices for all weed here) - Wow. Incredibly fruity, great stone. Lovely weed. Bag appeal is insane aswell, big chunky buds. Great middle of the road hybrid!
Northern Lights - 10/10 - - As above - Great hard hitting indica. I always wanted to try this strain and this is the place to try it. Great taste, smell etc. Lovely.
White Widow - 9/10 - - As above - Exactly as you'd expect it to be, white with crystals, great indica yet sativa stone. Really nice.
Knetter - 9/10 - - As above - Described as white widow but stronger. It's birdy's house weed and is incredibly strong. She said sometimes it's not as strong, sometimes it is so ask her what the current batch is like.
Basically go to Birdy and buy the menu!

Willie Wortels Sativa Didn't buy anything but wandered past it, quite secluded coffeeshop with very little on the menu when we were there. Frequented alot by the locals as it was full! Seating is at the back behind a glass partition as is the norm now.

Wille Wortel's Indica Down the side of Haarlem, overlooking the canal and the historic Windmill. Lovely views, great seats, like racing car seats or something - really comfy coffeeshop. Nicely decorated.
Willie Wortels Special - 9/10 - 9e a gram - Incredible indica. Great night time weed! Really suprised by this, favourite indica of the trip!
Jack Herer - 10/10 - 8.50e a gram - Incredible specimen. Nicest i've ever smoked and i've smoked numerous homegrown versions, even some from Canada and it beat it all handsdown. Incredible!

I'd suggest going to Haarlem and stocking up and trying the hash in 'dam. The weed's just incredible there.

I also went to see Boom Chicago! A great comedy show down on the Liedsplein (sp?). It cost 30euro's each on the internet for a 2 course meal and the show. Great value! The food is incredible! (Order the New York Cheesecake! I'm drooling thinking about it) We also left after our meal for a few spliffs outside and the staff didn't care and let us sit outside with our drinks on their tables!
I saw the best of 2009 show, it was incredible. It's improvisational comedy so it's never the same! I implore you to see it, it's hilarious!

We also did the Zoo, Aquarium, Planetarium and Botanical Gardens. 18.50 euro's for one ticket which covers them all. Located in the Artis park in the east of the city, 15 minutes walk from Central Station.
This was funny, the planetarium is all in dutch but it was cool to look at the pictures!

I'm waffling now, i'll update with photo's when i can be arsed. Thankoo!

Well you certainly made good use of your time

nice report

I love the Abraxas hash its so nice haha i also have lots of blank gaps from my time in there.

Volc

excellent report mate i leave in a few hours for long weekend break so you have helped me
the dampring bit sounds shite never heard bad about dampkring til now
cheers
toasted

e2a the weed is exspensive but i always say it aint the weed ya paying for its being in the weed mecca of the world what price can you put on smoking a bong nxt to a copper or copshop id pay double then that a gram!!!!!!!!!

Grey berry from Grey Area and NYCD from amnesia are the ones to get in Amsterdam.
Grey area shuts at 8pm so get their early!

Maybe mate, but weed is cheap to grow. Haarlem's much cheaper and of better quality. You're paying tourist prices in Amsterdam.

nice report weedio

although i find it strange you rated the grey berry & grey mist so highly
everytime ive looked at them they've just been the mediocre indica that seems to be everywhere

the dna strains, well thats another thing altogether


right you've just confirmed it for me, the people who work in damprking are wankers

i cant believe that he didnt wanna weigh it in front of you

Nice one weedio

sounds like you had a good time and thanks for update about the CS and smokes always comes in handy



SS

I just loved them Smoke. Grey mist maybe got rated so high cause of the grey berry it was being smoked alongside.
I don't know, just something about the greyberry really grabbed me. It was just so enjoyable.

I don't know what happened tbh, he may of been wanting a joint and not to pay for it, so weighed it as 1g and then took a bit out, i dunno.
He seemed instantly argumentative and then crazily apologetic after i said i won't leave till you give me my gram.
I was very dissapointed though .

the way i work it out is this my weed is cheap to grow and the best shit i come across!!!!!!! if i bought in my town i would have to pay £10 a gram and not be able to smoke out in a social enviro so as i say i would happily pay double and yeah been to many parts of holland and dams is the only place with enough atmos for me even if it is tourist prices
toasted

Nice report there fella.

Sorry the Dampkring didn't live up to expectations......it is one of my staples for purchases.

The coffeeshop opposite the 420Cafe is called De Kroon....luminous green thing, never been in myself, but it does get pretty good reviews on other boards.

Boom Chicago is great....been to a couple of shows over the years.

ATB

Can't thank you enough for your report FAI and your help in the run up.
The SSH was fucking superb mate!
They didn't have any super maroc left though which made me sad.

yeah i was gunna say

in most places, the readout from the scales is on the till, so you can see what they are putting on

but just think how many people dont say anything about it

cheeky bastards

I hate buying from anywhere that doesn't weigh it in front of you.
The only exception I make these days is at Katsu.

Also, another thing I have seen a few times......some of the dealers will weigh the weed up and then try to do a fancy flick trick to get the weed in to the bag. They miss with some of the weed - this ends up on the counter/floor it and then only some of the escaped goods make it in to the bag.

You have to keep a sharp eye out in some places for sure

Got to agree, great report and best for a long while

Boom Chicago is well worth a visit isn't it? It's not up to comedy store players standard but double funny, especially when stoned.

Nice report Weedio, it doesn't sound like it has changed much if at all since I was last over their in the autumn. Shame about the Dampkring and the Mexican Haze, when I tried it from there it didn't burn great, but it did smoke ok and the high was awesome. Sounds like you found a good deal with the Jack Herrer from Willie Wortles in Haarlem, I always go to Haarlem when out there to find the best deals on both weed and hash.
Sounds like you had a good one

no problems on the indoors smoking front then? nice to hear, i'm goin over in september for my mates wedding.

Great report Weedio

It's actually quite laughable. To be honest i was stunned by the amount of people i saw putting tobacco in joints, i thought it was a British thing but it must be wholly european. Just don't make it obvious and you won't have any problems.

Yeah i had a great time but i don't know if i'll go back. Maybe Mastricht or Rotterdam or i hear Zandford/Xanford? is nice.

About Damprking, i wouldn't jump to conclusions. I won't be back, but that's about the overall way he seemed with us. Maybe i was too stoned and talking awfully, maybe he was having a bad day. Who knows.

Forgot - no probs with pre-trip report Weedio.......I try to pass on any useful info, as it can be so easy to waste money over there.

Did you have a smoothie in Greenhouse Effect, or were you just in the bar next door after purchase?
We had a great appt with them on our last visit....you get to use the vip area in the bar on evenings too

Which Dampkring did you get the shitty service at.......Ocean's12 job on Hoogstraat or the one on Haarlemmersraat??

Haarlem is totally recmmended....the Indica is my fave shop there....the Jack is usually on the menu, it always tastes a bit cheezy to me?? But good.
They used to do Tibliza and bubblegum hash there too, which were awesome.....but sadly no more.

It is very expensive now though these days......think I might be looking to Morocco or Spain for my next adventure.


ATB

I sat at the window, i didn't have a smoothie no but i have on previous visits.

I've visited Morocco many moons ago, hash is easy to find but you can't get the selection.

Does spain have a coffeeshop scene?

Great report Weedio, its gonna help me loads when i go in 8 days

what were your top 5 coffeeshops? im gonna try and avoid the shit places if i remember them all, dont wanna waste my hard earned cash

and what are the chinkys like over there? i have to order takeaway in every place i go to

hey weedio really enjoyed reading your report, good job

Weedio,
Spain doesn't have a coffeeshop scene, but things there are very relaxed.
The guy who owns the WW shops in Haarlem (Nol Van Schaik) has set up something in Spain.....check his hempcity website for more details.

ATB

Top 5 were probably;

Willie Wortel's Indica in Haarlem - just awesome man, quiet and friendly and comfy. Great weed too!
Birdys in Haarlem - as willie wortels.
Grey Area - Grass is superb, tiny shop though so getting a seat is a nightmare, but if you do tunes etc. are just perfect.
Amnesia - Friendly staff, volcano's etc, loads of seats right on the canal, right round the corner from Grey Area aswell. (their NYCD is the bomb)
Rokerij down by the liedsplein - Comfy as shit, great atmosphere, didn't try anything on the menu here but it was an awesome shop to chill in before we headed down to Vondelpark.

Incidentally, i would advise buying weed and heading to Vondelpark if it's sunny. Most coffeeshops have the whats on guide in them and the open air stage is near the entrance near liedsplein. When we were there some band were blaring voilins and guitar, was rather awesome but too loud for my greyberry'ed ass to handle. Sitting 150m or so away from it though it was beautiful.
Lovely park if i don't say so myself .

Sorry to hear about your bad experience in Dampkring, always been one of my most trusted places. I am curious as to which one it was, as the Handboogstraat one (and tweede kamer round the corner) always weigh it to order, and in my experience it's usually a little over. The staff can be dicks sometimes though, but I've always put that down to it being a busy place and them having to deal with a lot of stoned indecisive tourists.

Def agree with you on the Vondelpark strategy. TBH I've lost interest in sitting in Coffeeshops now. Much nicer to sit in a park or just wander round stoned.

Errrm, it was .. middle of the city?
It was at the end of a street, down a small side street.
I know this doesn't help, you walked in and it was decorated insanely, bud-tender at the back left as you are facing it, bar on left aswell.
Dunno if that helps.

As i say he could of been having a bad day, go in and see for yourself but be weary!

gutted to missed you potentially

i was there on my own from 15th-20th - never had a dull moment!

Great report Weedio..

Very useful as I'm going for my 2nd visit this year, in a couple of weeks.. always stop at Grey Area, but great to know some of the others you liked... Going to get myself some of that Blueberry from 36 on arrival.. umm



I agree Dampkring was not great when I went in Feb. also.. not sure why it is so highly rated.. seems to not be the same as it once was...

Thanx for all that great info was in the Dam last year for 6 hours and it was soooo good am going back in September and ur list of coffee shops will help me find my way round

Great report Weedio, agree with you also on the NYCD

great round up of your trip
I stayed in zandvoort for 2 month and worked in Haarlem, I used to wonder about the coffee shops at lunch time it was amazing far better than the DAM
Zandvoort was also good it only had 2 coffee shops 1 of them did this great weed called Mary Crystal it was the best one I smoked in the 2 month there, I did nt like dam cos its too touristy I mean the Grasshopper says it all
I found the small town coffee shops actually gave you what you asked for (bud type and weight) The quality was always good as they cant sell shit to locals.
The touristy coffee shops of the dam: Your lucky to get bud nevermind good stuff or correct weight its worse than going to the dealers down the street here

yes Great report Weedio. never ben to the Dampkring. i had a bad experience at the greenhouse they were just shity to me i think it was cause i only got 1 bag of bud and a brew never will i go there.

I went to the other Dampkring a few days ago and had a lovely experience, great weed and a brilliant service. Luck of the draw I guess. I was smoking the Mexican Sativa too - great smoke and lovely first thing in the morning.

In the Rokerij i tried some Afghan at 5.50 e, great price and a lovely smoke.

For import hashes, my favourite yet again was the Bluebird - pre-weighed but you get the real deal. Plus their Quase weed, sativa, at 12.50 e per gram was definately one of my favourites this trip.

Sour Diesel from Homegrown Fantasy was definately one of my favourites this time round too.

Eating: The cakes in Abraxas were pretty poor - but the atmosphere and amazingly pretty girl who made my coffee made up for it! Blueberry muffins in the bluebird and hazelnut cakes from Homegrown Fantasy were the best hash cakes I tried.

Yet again I was in the Greenhouse Effect appartments. I was meant to be in their new one but a water pipe bursdt and they were renovating it. So we were in the Market Apartment again - great place though, I love it. The massive windows overlooking the flower market are great. I just spend ages stoned as anything, people watching, dangling my legs out of the window. I did drop a beer on guests outside the coffeeshop below though which didn't go down well. Ooops.

Cheers for the report Weedio, great to see others opinions of the same places at the same time I was there - we could have even seen each other and not known we were both 420!