Quote Originally Posted by Fr33kMan
Hi all,

I actaully live just outside of amsterdam. I used to live in the dam but prefer the quiet peaceful villiage I now live in, overlooking a canal and everything. Although I'm not there at the moment

As birdgirl73 said it is a place that has a lot to offer other than the drugs and sex scene. Amsterdam is a tolerant place but it has its limits. You can't just light up a spliff and walk down Kalverstraat and puff away in some old woman's face. You've got to be cool about it. In the red-light district you'll come across non-dutch men calling to you with phases like "hey mister u want some business?" or "Charlie? Charlie?" These guys are letting you know, with some subtlety mind you, that they are selling cocaine or possibly heroin. They aren't actually and if they were they'd be arrested by the large police population that roams the red-light district on foot and on motorbikes. What they are doing is taking you into a sidestreet to either get ripped off with fake coke or fake smack, or else just take your money from you. They are easy to ignore however, just walk straight past them.

But apart from that its a great place. There are a few really top-notch coffee shops (most are average) but De Tweede Kamar off of Spuistraat is 10/10 and has more than 10 weeds and 10 hashes! One hash there goes for 40 euros a gram and is mind-altering (trippy with lights and other visuals).

As for living there and working there. Its possible two ways. Either you have low expectations of a place to live and a job etc and this means that you perhaps live in a squat (usually well run legal places) or in a small room somewhere and perhaps get a couple of jobs at one or two coffee shops and earn enough to keep smoking and keep living there. Or you need to be a professional earning 45,000 euros a year or more. Flats in Amsterdam go for 800/month and easily more! Living expenses are fairly high if you're coming from the states. You'll probably shit!

Still, its all worth it!!!!!!

:jointsmile:

Fr33kMan
Good post. I hope to move to the netherlands as soon as my education is complete and i can afford to. Whether it will be amsterdam, rotterdam, the hague, i dunno, but i know the netherlands is the place for me. When me and my friend were there we smoked anywhere and never got in any trouble or dirty looks. I remember sitting on a bench by a river, one of the few benches in A-dam, they definately need more. Anyway, i was sitting on this bench smoking a J and this old lady was standing rite behind me with her camera lol. She never said anything i just thought it was funny. But yeah, the point being we smoked wherever we wanted. I know some people have said that it's disrespectful but i didn't view it that way, especially from the (non) reaction from anybody else. The kingdom of the Netherlands awaits my return. On that glorious day, whenever it shall be, i know i'll be SO blazed