From: mtymp15@staff.tc.umn.edu (David Hutton)
Subject: Amsterdam
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 04:25:20 GMT


This is something a friend of mine in Europe sent me.  I think it is 
of high value if you ever go to Europe to have this file printed
out with you.  Read on.



A guide to Europe:









As to the European scene if you are interested in having a high old 
time over here then Amsterdam Copenhagen and Zurich are places not to 
miss.
    I haven't been to Copenhagen myself for over 15 years, but friends 
who were there say that an area called Cristiania is the place to go. 
It is a sort of large scale neo-anarchist pseudo-independent commune 
where apparently mj of various types can be had if you look. Also the 
Carlseberg and Tubourg breweries are worth a visit.
    Amsterdam, need we say more. I was there last month and the price 
was about 25 dutch guilders for 2g of hash or grass. a number of 
different varieties are available. All you have to do is go into the 
coffee shops and ask for a menu. It is fairly obvious which ones are 
the pleasant twee little places for the "normal" tourists, and which 
are the interesting coffee shops. There are also plenty of shady 
characters who hang about the streets willing to sell you anything. 
Don't buy hash or grass off them it'll cost you three times what it 
costs in the coffee shops and is probably more offensive to the local 
plod than buying it in the regulation outlets. The street sellers also 
offer speed, heroin, coke, e, and acid (treeps). The one hit of acid I 
bought (10 guilders) had no effect at all, so I rather think that 
these annoying bastards are just out to rob you blind. There is also 
the cannabis museum which is small but cheap enough to be worth a 
visit. The area of interest is within 15 min walk of the central 
station. As you walk over the bridge out of the station, veer slightly 
to the left and you'll find it.
    Zurich, well I've lived here for 20 months, with 3 left and I 
still haven't quite figured the place out. It is the most bizarre 
place I have ever lived. "The Park" where the scene used to be when I 
arrived has closed down but what the hell did the authorities expect, 
all the H users to simply go home and stop doing drugs. Foolish 
really. Almost any drugs can be had on the street here. You can walk 
past guys shooting up and dealers with little tables set out in front 
of them with syringes, spoons and candles laid out. The police look on 
and occasionally pick up the bodies. Unless you do dumb things like 
take photos it is perfectly safe. You may even be able to pick up a 
cheap stereo or mountain bike. At the moment the scene happens along 
the river just near the station, a road called Shil Quai. If you come 
out the front of the central station turn left so that you face the 
National museum (a nasty pseudo gothic thing). Walk to your left past 
the museum (Platzspits, literally needle park is behind it but now 
closed) and you will come to a a bridge over the Shil. Cross this and 
turn right down Shil Quai and almost instantly you will run into a 
group of people selling hash. They stand on the side walk just by a 
pedestrian crossing waiting for customers. The hash goes at a fairly 
standard price of 100sf for a stick which is about 8-10g depending how 
lucky you are. It is a standard price, but as there are usually at 
least 5 to ten people selling you get a reasonable choice. I have also 
seen some grass there but not a lot and mostly miserable quality. This 
is also the place to get acid, keys, buddhas, dragons and peace 
symbols have all been good value, avoid the planets and the palm trees 
which have been found to be very weak.
   If you go by and there is no one about hang out in the national 
museum for an hour (the only reason you'd want to waste time in there) 
and go back some one might have turned up. Further down Shil Quai you 
will run into the junk. Heroin and cocaine freely available, you can 
even get syringes if you really want. All very strange. The police 
sort of move people around simply to keep them from hanging out in one 
place and to allow the street cleaners a chance. This is Switzerland 
after all. Usually there is some activity somewhere along Shil Quai. 
If you walk all the way along you will eventually get to a road bridge 
over the river. This is Kornhaus bruke, which marks the end of the 
activity. There is a little foot bridge over the river here where the 
scene moves to when the bill shoo them away from Shil Quai. If you get 
up onto Kornhaus bruke and walk away from the river you come to Limmat 
Platz. On Saturdays there is a small market there. Cross over and go 
down the street opposite called Lang str. Not far down here you'll 
come across a branch of Werner's Head Shop, there is another further 
along Lang str and a third on Limmat Quai in the centre of town. The 
two on Lang str sell useful things like pipes, bongs and leather 
whips, the one in the centre of town sells T-shirts for the "normal" 
tourists. The Lang str area is the red light district of Zurich and 
certainly has more of an earthy feel to it than Bahnhoff str. and the 
posh parts of town. Lots of immigrants live round here and there are 
plenty of small but reasonable (for Zurich) restaurants and some good 
Fallafel and Kebabs can be found.
   At the other end of Lang str near Helvetia platz there is a flea 
market on Saturdays at a place called Kanslei. The Kanslei flea market 
is a junk market the place that goods get recycled. A more antique 
style market takes place at Burkli platz right by the lake, and an 
alternative but quite expensive market can be found in Rosenhof, a 
little square off Neiderdorf str. Neiderdorf str is the place that you 
will run in to all the conventional tourists and party goers. The 
street is lined with bars and street performers.
   The alternative guide to Zurich finishes at the lake, which in the 
summer is fine to swim in. There are several swimbads where you can 
pay to jump in the water and a couple of parks where you can jump in 
for free. On hot summer evenings the parks along the north shore of 
the lake turn into a zoo. People hang out sitting round fires and if 
you were really desperate for a toke you could probably find some 
stoners down there willing to share some with you. 
   Switzerland's National day is August 1st and rather than doing 
anything organized people just seem to buy shit loads of fireworks and 
take them down to the parks by the lake and let them off. If you only 
plan to spent one day in Zurich August 1st could be a fun day to pick. 
The shops will all be closed, but the bars and restaurants will be 
open and of course Shil Quai is the only place you can do 24 hour 
shopping in this town.

This information was correct at the time of writing. The local authorities
reserve the right to change it without notice. with luck they wont interfere
too much. 
below is a small map that might help you find some of the places mentioned
above.

                                                 |Z
                                                 |
                                \ /              |
                                 |   ____________|___ND
                              central
                   ~~~~~~~~~|~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~Limmat  Lake -->
                        NM  | BH |
                            |    |_______BHstr
                            |
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shil
                ~ ________X_|
               ~ /
              ~ /Shil
             ~ /Quai
            ~ /
           ~ /
          ~ /
         ~ /
        ~ /
       ~ /                                KL
  _____KB____LP_________________________HP
     ~ /            lang str
    ~ /

~~~~~~~~ rivers
BH Bahnhoff
NM national museum
X  hash sellers
LP Limmat Platz
HP Helvetia platz
KL Kanslei
KB Kornhaus bruke
Z  Cafe Zahringer


Cafe Zahringer is a sort of alternative cafe veggie food etc, nothing special
but next to it is a bar the Bierflusse I think. It is amusing as it is one
of the few gay bars in Zurich and the guys that hang out there can often 
be outrageously dressed. The back area of the bar is hard core leather
but the front appears quite normal except for the rather thick smoke.
You can pick up some really good hash in here some times, much better
quality than on Shil Quai. The only problem is that it is harder to spot
the dealer here as he won't hawk his wares obviously. More expensive
but worth the little extra.

---cut here---

I will forward mail to the author.

mtymp15@epx.cis.umn.edu

-- 
It is better to light a candle then to curse the darkness....
mtymp15@epx.cis.umn.edu  OR  muffman@tfsquad.mn.org

meow
Newsgroups: alt.drugs