Amsterdam?

[J.A.W.]

Hey Weizy, have fun in Amsterdam! It's a cool city!

Have a great time Weizy and a have a Heineken or a Grolsch for your old drummer buddy!

...or even an Amstel Pils on tap? I'd like to find this place.

...anyway, thanks Randy & Jim....I'll tip one fer ya!

You can find on Bloemstraat (Flower Street). "Bloem" is pronounced as "bloom".

Café Chris, Bloemstraat 42, 1016 LC Amsterdam, Tel. (in the Netherlands) 020 6245942

Edited March 24, 2007 by J.A.W.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Okay, thanks Hans! I should have no problem finding it now!

btw, I recently read an interesting little fun fact that the authorities fish some 10,000 bicycles out of the city canals every year. At 27.39 bikes per day (27 bikes + 1 bent front wheel) that's some full time employment for someone!!!

[sal]

You'll be able to get the Amstel Pilsner almost everywhere. Just look for the signs! Its unbelievably tasty, as is the Heineken over there. You won't be able to drink it out the skunky bottles over here after tasting this.

[JohnBlutarski]

Peter, Amsterdam is truly an amazing city. Like I said in an earlier post, I want to come back with my family, preferrably when its spring or summer, and visit the museums (especially the Van Gogh). What tiny fraction we actually saw of the city was incredible.

Ron, the show went well. We got calls for an encore and a standing ovation. The audience was very receptive and seemed to dig what we were doing. The Hammond B3 that Barak and festival coordinator Gali worked very hard to get for me was the best B3 I've played on a festival to date. And its one of only three Hammond B3s in all of Israel!

This is a beautiful city and we hope to come back in the future.

it would be nice to come here with the band, too

:)

[randissimo]

Okay, thanks Hans! I should have no problem finding it now!

btw, I recently read an interesting little fun fact that the authorities fish some 10,000 bicycles out of the city canals every year. At 27.39 bikes per day (27 bikes + 1 bent front wheel) that's some full time employment for someone!!!

Joe got a nice pic or two of the bicycles..

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?...mp;conn_speed=1

[Robert J]

Rolf - when you headed over? I'll be there a couple of days in late June Staying at the Tulip Inn.

[randissimo]

Rolf - when you headed over? I'll be there a couple of days in late June Staying at the Tulip Inn.

You sure you don't mean Holland, Michigan?

[7/4]

Rolf - when you headed over? I'll be there a couple of days in late June Staying at the Tulip Inn.

[Robert J]

Rolf - when you headed over? I'll be there a couple of days in late June Staying at the Tulip Inn.

You sure you don't mean Holland, Michigan?

Actually I have passed through there coming back from Chicago. A nice place as well - maybe should have kept going to visit Chuck? But this time will seek the European version of Holland.

Taking a nice trip with my wife (and not the kids for the first time). 5 days in Prague, 2 in Amsterdam, and 5 in Paris. The Tulip Inn was a result of a Priceline chance not a sentimental ukulele favourite.

[Noj]

Ro-beer, have a Heineken in Amsterdam--it's actually good there since it's fresh, not skunky like the stuff we get on this continent.

[Robert J]

I just love the fact that on June 26, I'll be having a fresh local Pilsner Urquell and a Heineken on tap the same day

[J.A.W.]

Ro-beer, have a Heineken in Amsterdam--it's actually good there since it's fresh, not skunky like the stuff we get on this continent.

It may be fresh here, but I still find both Heineken and its "imprint" Amstel undrinkable.

[Robert J]

I'm up for a micro recommendation then.

[Noj]

I prefer darker brews and I usually hate Heineken. I was surprised to find it reasonably drinkable when I visited in 2004. Over here it's this raspy skunky flat junk that gives me a headache.

[Robert J]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Taking a nice trip with my wife (and not the kids for the first time). 5 days in Prague, 2 in Amsterdam, and 5 in Paris. The Tulip Inn was a result of a Priceline chance not a sentimental ukulele favourite.

Same here (the no kids along bit! )....2 in Amsterdam...2 Germany...4 Luxembourg. Hey, when you're footloose & fancy with no lunches to pack, homework to check or endless 'you've got to brush your teeth for longer than 22 seconds!!!' commands to bark out -- ALL beer tastes good from the tap, right!!! That Cracked Kettle place looks like it's reasonably close to where we'll be (Hotel Estherea) so I might pop in see what's happening on the Westvleteren front...and report back to you. So little time.....so much hooch to drain....

[brownie]

Visitors to Amsterdam, please take note

From AFP:

OPEN DAY IN AMSTERDAMS RED LIGHT DISTRICT

by Alix Rijckaert

Men swapped places with women offering themselves for hire in the shop windows of Amsterdam's infamous red light district on Saturday in an audacious bid to improve the area's seedy image.

"Last year, I noticed that there were a lot of female visitors," Mariska Majoor from the Prostitution Information Centre (PIC), organiser of the second annual open day to stress the area's "positive and festive" side, told AFP.

"So we asked for men prepared to prostitute themselves to be in the windows for one day. It is only the second time in the history of Amsterdam that men are offering themselves to women are in the windows like their female colleagues."

One of them was a 34-year-old called Fabio.

"I want to get into escort services because I have stopped my modelling career, so I said to myself why not advertise yourself!" he said nervously as crowds gathered to catch a glimse of the five male volunteers.

Next to him was 31-year-old Dennis, wearing only a pair of black Lycra shorts.

"I want you ... it's 35 euros (45 dollars) a go!" Dennis called out to a group of giggling young women walking past.

"Thirty euros? That's cheap!" a woman says to her friend.

Suzan, Inge and Wil, three friends in their fifties, took advantage of the open day to have a look around inside.

"We visited a shop window with a bedroom, we even sat down on the stool where they wait for customers," one of them recounted. "It gives you a completely different image to be on the inside."

Other attractions included free peep shows, a course offering "All you need to know about contraceptives in 10 minutes" and a demonstration of pole-dancing -- but with the dancer wearing a pair of shorts for a change.

Later Saturday, a statue paying tribute to "all the prostitutes of the world" -- depicting a confident-looking woman with her hands on her hips, leaning against a doorway -- was due to be unveiled.

Prostitution was legalized in 2000 in the Netherlands and being a prostitute is thought of as a job like any other when it comes to workers' rights.

"It's not all rosy of course. Forced prostitution exists here too and the PIC is here to help women escape that," Majoor said.

[JohnBlutarski]

Visitors to Amsterdam, please take note

From AFP:

OPEN DAY IN AMSTERDAMS RED LIGHT DISTRICT

by Alix Rijckaert

Men swapped places with women offering themselves for hire in the shop windows of Amsterdam's infamous red light district on Saturday in an audacious bid to improve the area's seedy image.

"Last year, I noticed that there were a lot of female visitors," Mariska Majoor from the Prostitution Information Centre (PIC), organiser of the second annual open day to stress the area's "positive and festive" side, told AFP.

"So we asked for men prepared to prostitute themselves to be in the windows for one day. It is only the second time in the history of Amsterdam that men are offering themselves to women are in the windows like their female colleagues."

One of them was a 34-year-old called Fabio.

"I want to get into escort services because I have stopped my modelling career, so I said to myself why not advertise yourself!" he said nervously as crowds gathered to catch a glimse of the five male volunteers.

Next to him was 31-year-old Dennis, wearing only a pair of black Lycra shorts.

"I want you ... it's 35 euros (45 dollars) a go!" Dennis called out to a group of giggling young women walking past.

"Thirty euros? That's cheap!" a woman says to her friend.

Suzan, Inge and Wil, three friends in their fifties, took advantage of the open day to have a look around inside.

"We visited a shop window with a bedroom, we even sat down on the stool where they wait for customers," one of them recounted. "It gives you a completely different image to be on the inside."

Other attractions included free peep shows, a course offering "All you need to know about contraceptives in 10 minutes" and a demonstration of pole-dancing -- but with the dancer wearing a pair of shorts for a change.

Later Saturday, a statue paying tribute to "all the prostitutes of the world" -- depicting a confident-looking woman with her hands on her hips, leaning against a doorway -- was due to be unveiled.

Prostitution was legalized in 2000 in the Netherlands and being a prostitute is thought of as a job like any other when it comes to workers' rights.

"It's not all rosy of course. Forced prostitution exists here too and the PIC is here to help women escape that," Majoor said.

hmmmm

that is on 500 m from my house...

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

Robert, my guess is that you'll have a good 'ol time in there. It's packed with fine brews. Here are a couple of pics. When I was in there, the owner was restocking....had multiple cases sitting about. He's a long haired Irish dude....had to be stoned...but definitely knowledgeable. Directly across the alley is Gollem which is a must see/must drink spot. Seemed to be mostly locals. Hendrix' 'Crosstown Traffic' was playing as I counted 39 bodies crammed in there (including the 2nd level located up 5 creaky steps with 3 good sized tables)....and 35 of us were smoking -- so you'll want to bring your Camels. Highly recommended!

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

....

[JohnBlutarski]

....

Gollum is a nice lttle bar!

a lot of nice beers, indeed!

a good friend of mine lived on the other side of this bar in the same alley.

JB

[JohnBlutarski]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

Robert, my guess is that you'll have a good 'ol time in there. It's packed with fine brews. Here are a couple of pics. When I was in there, the owner was restocking....had multiple cases sitting about. He's a long haired Irish dude....had to be stoned...but definitely knowledgeable. Directly across the alley is Gollem which is a must see/must drink spot. Seemed to be mostly locals. Hendrix' 'Crosstown Traffic' was playing as I counted 39 bodies crammed in there (including the 2nd level located up 5 creaky steps with 3 good sized tables)....and 35 of us were smoking -- so you'll want to bring your Camels. Highly recommended!

btw, if you want to smke in a bar, don't wait too long, 'cause there are plans for smokefree public environment, like bars, restaurants, clubs, here, too.

probably withing 1 or 2 years.

JB

[sal]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

Robert, my guess is that you'll have a good 'ol time in there. It's packed with fine brews. Here are a couple of pics. When I was in there, the owner was restocking....had multiple cases sitting about. He's a long haired Irish dude....had to be stoned...but definitely knowledgeable. Directly across the alley is Gollem which is a must see/must drink spot. Seemed to be mostly locals. Hendrix' 'Crosstown Traffic' was playing as I counted 39 bodies crammed in there (including the 2nd level located up 5 creaky steps with 3 good sized tables)....and 35 of us were smoking -- so you'll want to bring your Camels. Highly recommended!

btw, if you want to smke in a bar, don't wait too long, 'cause there are plans for smokefree public environment, like bars, restaurants, clubs, here, too.

probably withing 1 or 2 years.

JB

Does this include the hash bars?

[J.A.W.]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

Robert, my guess is that you'll have a good 'ol time in there. It's packed with fine brews. Here are a couple of pics. When I was in there, the owner was restocking....had multiple cases sitting about. He's a long haired Irish dude....had to be stoned...but definitely knowledgeable. Directly across the alley is Gollem which is a must see/must drink spot. Seemed to be mostly locals. Hendrix' 'Crosstown Traffic' was playing as I counted 39 bodies crammed in there (including the 2nd level located up 5 creaky steps with 3 good sized tables)....and 35 of us were smoking -- so you'll want to bring your Camels. Highly recommended!

btw, if you want to smke in a bar, don't wait too long, 'cause there are plans for smokefree public environment, like bars, restaurants, clubs, here, too.

probably withing 1 or 2 years.

JB

Does this include the hash bars?

Say "Amsterdam" to an American and the first thing they ask about is the "hash bars"... [sigh...]

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Hans - you know this place?

http://www.crackedkettle.com/

Robert, my guess is that you'll have a good 'ol time in there. It's packed with fine brews. Here are a couple of pics. When I was in there, the owner was restocking....had multiple cases sitting about. He's a long haired Irish dude....had to be stoned...but definitely knowledgeable. Directly across the alley is Gollem which is a must see/must drink spot. Seemed to be mostly locals. Hendrix' 'Crosstown Traffic' was playing as I counted 39 bodies crammed in there (including the 2nd level located up 5 creaky steps with 3 good sized tables)....and 35 of us were smoking -- so you'll want to bring your Camels. Highly recommended!

btw, if you want to smke in a bar, don't wait too long, 'cause there are plans for smokefree public environment, like bars, restaurants, clubs, here, too.

probably withing 1 or 2 years.

JB

Does this include the hash bars?

Say "Amsterdam" to an American and the first thing they ask about is the "hash bars"... [sigh...]

Are you sure it's that and not the red light district? Truthfully, neither of those 'things' pop into my head when I hear the city name -- more like bicycles and fabulous old canal homes -- but 'yes,' most people tend to fall into that category. Then again, it's not all that unusual to form associations like that, particularly when they (a segment of city dwellers) seem to work hard cultivating the image and it's omnipresent. You go to the large outdoor flower market and you see all of these little weed 'starter kits' in sealed metal cannisters....stuff like that. I stayed in a decent hotel and was somewhat surprised to see (in the elevator no less... which I thought was quite odd....tacky actually) a shiny 8x10 brass plaque warning guests that they'd immediately be assesed a 150 Euro room charge if they engaged in smoking cannabis products on the premises. So, even if you've no interest in walking around looking for the coffee shops, here it is in your face (literally..right in the elevator of a 4-star hotel!)

The association 'game' works both ways -- I can't tell you how many europeans have quickly started talking about 'gangsters' when I've mentioned Chicago over the years.