The Amsterdam 2000 Page
...amid the fury of firecrackers, m-80's and every conceivable firework exploding on every side, we bathed in the green glow of the Grasshopper Palace floodlights on the Damrak, mushrooms coursing through our veins, pupils straining to see into the new millennium...
click here for an explanation of this page...dude
click here for the amsterdam 2000 links page
12/29/99 coffeeshop 66
whall, here we are, The Hippie & I, on the edge of the red light. this travelogue has been paining me since I got here, it being my only real responsibility (with the exception of avoiding pickpockets and not losing my bag). I've been taking notes in a tidy little book for you, my friends and neighboors. let's go for a quick runthrough of the events & atmosphere thus far, dallying on the more obtuse moments:
12/27
after spending entirely too much time waiting, not sleeping, or eating nasty, nasty food, The Hippie & I emerged from Central Station onto the street around noon. like little tourists we went to the VVV (tourist info) and purchased our museumkaart for reduced admission to the museums. then we went through the tedious & enervating process of finding the hotel & checking in. I wont bore you with it, instead, flash ahead a few hours- dinnertime.
I had ditched the detroit crew at the airport (newbies) with the promise of meeting them at the Dam (town square). Lee & I took a tram in early and wandered the beautiful, moist, chilly streets for awhile until we found Conscious Dreams and wandered in. it was an odd and delicious homecoming to finally arrive at the "smartshop" whose site I had been surfing expectantly for the past three months. oh, pedro.
I delighted in The Hippie's pleasantly confused expression as she examined the psychedelic cacti, psilocybe 'shrooms and the ever=present hoteis that took every shape and form. an auspicious beginning.
from there, we wandered a few doors dowm to the supposedly venerable coffeeshop 36. I'd give you the link, but I'm paying by the minute, here, yo. more computer, less weed, capice? check here for the links. where was I? oh yes, coffeeshop 36. we went in, letting the dark & intense techno swallow us up, along with a delicious & unmistakable stench of mary-jew-wanna. o mary jane, my sometime friend, here I am. I offer myself to you for these ten days, come into my lungs, yes, there. aah. I made my way to the booth at the back and bought a 1.7 gram bag of crystal skunk- a mere $12 american. inexpensive amsterdam, I love thee.
then we smoked.
the rest is foggy, really, up until right now.
just kidding. we got good-n-high and took a walk after The Hippie got a bag for herself. we were on the edge of the Red Light, so we took a lap around the Oude Kerk (Old Church). The Hippie saw her first prostitutes, plying their wares in lacy, softly lit windows. her face was blank, expressionless, and I recalled the cuture shock that I experienced the first time I was beckoned by an amsterdam prostitute. the culture shoock was surely the same, but from where I was standing, I could see no erection in The Hippie's pants. odd.
then we made our way to The Dam, a few blocks away, and hung out. The Dam is going to be hosting one of the many millennuim parties this year in amsterdam, and a giant ferris wheel is set up in front of the Paleis. They're also bulding something there that looks like a stage. aside:riding the train, I see numerous such temporary structures popping up, fueling my own anticipation of the new year. the city is very busy and FILLED with people right now. I'm sure the new year is going to be nutso.
i gotta go now. this log will be filled with errors and misspellings.. the dutch laanguage is rotting my brain and, I'M HIGH, MAN! GIVE ME A BREAK.
12/28/99 checking in
good god, what a nghtmare international travel is. however, everybody has arrived at their hotels safe & sound. more later.
12/25/99 1:41a
it has begun. the links have moved here. I can't sleep, my toes all shrivvely. we fly in 16 hours. the anticipation. ooh.
this will be a web travelog of three distrubed individuals in amsterdam for the next ten days. stay tuned for further updates.
|
