I was determined not to be a marijuana virgin by the end of this trip. Rick Steves is a big proponent of legalizing the drug in America; and I bet he had some effect on the recent Washington State law enacted in 2013. So, he has added this little side trip to his Amsterdam tours. Education is power, you know.
Most of Amsterdam's downtown coffeeshops--the common label for those selling marijuana (as well as coffee) which must be licensed--feel grungy and ominous to American travelers not part of the youth-hostel crowd. Paradox, owned by Ludo (an old hippie--my perception only--and friend of Rick's), is cozy and more inviting to those of us without piercings and numerous tattoos.
Ludo, the owner for the past 22+ years, was happy to spend 30+ minutes explaining the Dutch approach to marijuana, the history, its laws and the rules regarding its sale, etc. I noticed the menus on the table were for coffee and snacks only--you must ask if you want to see a tobacco menu because it's illegal to advertise.
The retail sale of marijuana is strictly regulated; and people are encouraged not to buy soft drugs on the street. Marijuana purchased in well-established shops is always good quality (much safer with good prices); the minimum age to purchase is 18. Proceeds are taxed and it is a competitive business. Coffeeshops can sell up to five grams per person per day--pre-rolled joints, in little baggies, and in cookies and cake. Owners, Ludo says, have an interest in keeping their trade safe and healthy and maintaining their shop's reputation. Because remember, they cannot advertise.
Authorities want shops to stay small and not become export bases. So each coffeeshop is allowed an inventory of about a pound of pot in stock at one time. This means that a popular shop must withstand the hassle of replenishing stock five or six times daily. Otherwise, it can lose its license. There are about 200 coffeeshops in the city now, and 800 have been closed for not following the rules.
Ludo was anxious to tell us that hemp has been around for centuries. Medieval bibles and even the Declaration of Independence are written on hemp; hemp paper, in fact, lasts longer than regular paper). Glaucoma, menstrual cramps, MS, cancer, seizures, side-effects from radiation--all are helped by smoking or ingesting weed. It improves your appetite and health quality without the side effects of other medical drugs.
When smoking weed, Ludo explained, the effects go straight to the brain. However, it may take 30-60 minutes to feel the effects after eating a cookie or brownie, for example, or less if you're eating it on an empty stomach. And those who overdo? The "fix" is to drink a Code, which is full of sugar. "No one dies from weed," says Ludo. "It would take about 2,000 kilos of marijuana to kill a person."
Ludo's partner, Wiljan, was also very informative, patient with descriptions, and happy to help us with our choices. During Ludo's presentation, it suddenly dawned on me--a non-smoker--that it made more sense to eat a cookie than attempt to smoke. So for six euros, I bought a slice of pound cake, which included one gram of pot. Wiljan explained that since I have never tried marijuana, I should only eat a quarter of it at first so I can determine how it effects me.
Soooo, when will I slip this into our schedule and what will happen??
Sam began collecting Delftware, I believe, during our first trip to Delft in 2000. We found our way that day to the town's biggest tourist attraction, the Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, the original Delft Blue earthenware factory famous worldwide. It was a confusing and time-consuming walk (about 15-20 minutes, if I remember correctly) from the train station through the Markt. Sam is allergic to public transportation so we walked very quickly! We didn't know where we were at the time, never having been here, plus we were subject to the train schedules to and from Haarlem.
The Dutch East India Company, partly headquartered in Delft, imported many exotic goods from the Far East, including Chinese porcelain. Those designs became trendy and were copied by many local potters. Three centuries later, their descendants are still going strong in that factory. But there are two other (of the original 32) authentic makers still existing in Delft.
On this morning, our group tour ended at one of the last three, De Candelaer (the candlestick). This shop is owned by Stephan (wearing a New York City t-shirt), a fourth generation artisan who began making the famous porcelain at age 15. Now, the next generation is already in training as per the photo of Stephan's son hanging in the studio! Annie, his only employee, does all the painting--she told Sam and me that she has been doing it for about 40 years and began her career at the famous main factory, the one we visited in 2000. (She was already working for Stephan by that time.)
Stephan has an interesting set-up in his back room, where he demonstrates the manufacturing process by showing porcelain samples at different stages in the steps. It is a time-consuming process because each piece takes eight days to complete.
The earthenware is made from a soupy mix of clay and water, which is either rotated on a spinning disk (for plates) or poured into hollow molds (vases, cups, etc.). The porous molds work like a sponge, sucking out the water to leave a layer of dry clay along the walls of the molds. After the clay object is removed from the mold, it is fired in a kiln for 24 hours.
Pottery removed from the kiln--referred to as a "biscuit" now--is handed to Annie, the painter, who traces traditional decorations with sable-hair pencils onto the piece. These are then painted with a black paint containing cobalt oxide, which is immediately soaked up by the biscuit. Then the objects are dipped into an opaque white glaze and fired a second time. The black paint is transformed into the famous Delft Blue by a chemical reaction; and the white glaze melts into a translucent glass-like outer layer.
Stephan also explained the difference between the mass-produced versus the unauthentic pieces. You need to look for one of three symbols--each specific to the three Delft makers--to confirm a piece's authenticity. It will also say "Delft." Decals identifying pieces from China--and not authentic--say "Delft Blue." And the word "hand-painted" signals that only one small thing on the piece is actually hand-painted--not the entire surface design. Also, a crown on the decal indicates a fake.
Sam was very happy--she found a tea set which she ordered. After Stephan showed her unfinished samples, she told him what pieces she want. He finally responded--he was frankly incredulous, in my opinion: "You didn't even ask me how much these cost?" Sam flipped her hand in the air and said, "It doesn't matter."
Remember now, this was the morning of Sam's fall, her dull headache, and the continual swelling and blackening of her eyes. I guess shopping was the best way to take her mind off her medical issues, as tour buddy Kristy and I concluded! What a trooper.
After the chocolate demonstration, Sam and I took off to do some shopping. She had been very patient about this, plus I had an "order" from a neighbor to visit a specific tapestry shop (Mille Fleurs) and buy a pillow cover detailing the "Tree of Life." Sam bought a couple tapestries and then even I bought a pillow cover for my living room couch. We also stopped in some lace shops but didn't make any purchases in those.
We were hungry so it was time to find some lunch. The café we selected was in a small passage around the corner from the Church of the Holy Blood, a passage with shops and little restaurants overlooking the oldest canal (top photo).
Our restaurant, a little coffee house serving lunch (Koffiehuis Ter Steeghere), was delightful even though it was housed on the side away from the canal in the passage. It had been our coolest day so far this trip and we had suffered a few sprinkles. So, hot soup sounded really good and it certainly was--even though we never figured out what kind--and we didn't ask.
After touring the Church of the Holy Blood (a separate post), we wandered back to the hotel and tested the chocolates. Before leaving to check out another lace shop Hilbren had pointed out on our orientation walk the night before, we watched some swimmers from our window competing in the canal--brrrrr, looked very cold!
On the way to the lace shop, we entered the Saint Anne church (Sint-Annakerk)--beautiful and ornate, although the back of the sanctuary was being renovated. Wish we would've had more time to study the artwork and learn about its history.
What a cute little home the lace shop occupied. I wondered if the owner (the lady who waited on us) lives upstairs. And even though it was in a very quiet, non-traffic, and residential area, her other customers seemed to be familiar with the stock and knew exactly what they wanted. I got the feeling it was a "destination" on those shoppers' list, as it was on ours. After Sam found a couple gifts, we sauntered back through the neighborhood, found a bench, and called our parents.
Hey! Let's drop off your packages, Sam, and "do" coffee and cake on the way to the harp concert. It was that time so we went back to our favorite café for very fancy and delicious waffles. Life is good.
The free harp concert was interesting and just the right amount of time--I believe Luc Vanlaere only played six songs, on a variety of harps and string-type instruments and all his own compositions. Before beginning, Luc surveyed his audience and told us he spoke four or five languages, which he confirmed by commenting in all languages at different times in the program. He was finished playing within 30 minutes and we slipped out without buying a CD or signing any guest lists. It was really a different and pleasant experience.
We found our way back, meandering by and through many sights we've seen multiple times, plus a new one--a group of dancers in the old fish market.
Since the sweet waffles were only a distant memory and it was time for dinner, we stopped at a pizza place pointed out by Hilbern this morning. There, we ran into two of our tour buddies, Peggy and Mike from Sonoma, California. Pretty darn good and fun company. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and bed.
We walked by and through these beautiful galleries not far from our hotel on various occasions during our stay in Brussels.
Designed as a connection between two commercial areas near the Grand Place, these covered galleries were one of the first of their size constructed in Europe.
Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the monumental structure bears witness to the prowess and innovations of steel and glass architecture. It was inaugurated in 1847 and the galleries designed in 1838 by J. P. Cluysenaar to include shops, as well as housing, and two theatres.
On our way home from the group dinner this evening, we strolled through here again... peeking into all the colorful shop windows. And avoiding all the temptations. There will be plenty of time for "winkling."
