As we鈥檝e had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here鈥檚 a reminder of the fun that awaits us in Europe at the other end of this crisis.
Wandering around Amsterdam, every few blocks you pass a window full of plants displaying a red, yellow, and green Rastafarian flag 鈥 both indications that the coffeeshop doesn鈥檛 sell much coffee. These days, 鈥渃offee shop鈥 refers to a place where the Dutch gather to buy and smoke marijuana. I duck into one of these coffee shops to get the latest.
A round table at the front window is filled with a United Nations of tourists sharing travellers鈥 tales stirred by swizzle sticks of smoke. From the looks of the ashtray, they鈥檝e been here a while. The table is a clutter of teacups, maps, and guidebooks.
Taking a seat at the bar next to a leathery 40-something biker and a college-age kid with two holes in his body for each one in mine, I feel more like a tourist than I have all day. The bartender, Pieter 鈥 sporting a shaved head and a one-inch goatee 鈥 greets me in English and passes me the menu.
Swarte Marok, Blond Marok, White Widow, Northern Light, Stonehedge, Grasstasy鈥o many choices on the menu, and that鈥檚 just the wiet (marijuana). Hashish selections fill the bottom half of the menu. I point to a clipped-on scrap of paper. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 Aanbieding: Swarte Marok?鈥
鈥淭oday鈥檚 special is Black Moroccan,鈥 Pieter says.
Above me dangles a tiny Starship Enterprise from a garland of spiky leaves. And behind Pieter stands a row of much-used and apparently never-cleaned bongs, reminding me of the hubbly-bubblies that litter Egyptian teahouses. With a flick of my finger, I set the Enterprise rocking.
Pieter says, 鈥淎ccess to the stars. That鈥檚 us.鈥
When I marvel at how open-minded the Dutch are, Pieter explains, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not open-minded, just tolerant. There鈥檚 a difference. Wiet is not legal鈥nly tolerated.鈥
I ask, 鈥淒oes this tolerance cause a problem?鈥
Handing a two-foot-tall bong and a baggie of leaves to a woman whose huge dog is tied to the bike rack outside, Pieter says, 鈥淢y grandmother has an old pipe rack. It has a sign: 鈥楢 satisfied smoker creates no problems.鈥欌
鈥淭hat was tobacco, wasn鈥檛 it?鈥
鈥淵es, it鈥檚 from the 1860s. But this still applies today.鈥
I ask the guy with all the holes why he smokes here.
Speaking through the silver stud in his tongue, he says, 鈥淪ome young people hang out at coffee shops because their parents don鈥檛 want them smoking at home, others come here to smoke pot with their parents. I come here for the coffeeshop ambience.鈥
The older guy in leather laughs. 鈥淵eah, ambience with a shaved head,鈥 he says, as Pieter hands him his baggie to go.
I ask about the sign with a delivery boy on it.
鈥淚n Holland, we have pot delivery services,鈥 Pieter explains, 鈥渓ike you have pizza delivery in America. Older people take out or have it delivered.鈥
A middle-aged woman hurries in and says, 鈥淵ellow Cab, please.鈥
Pieter hands her a baggie saying, 鈥淚 cut you a fat bag.鈥
With a 鈥淒ank u wel, Pieter,鈥 she tosses it into her shopping tote and hurries out.
鈥淲e have lots of states where recreational pot is legal but a coffeeshop like this is not possible yet in the United States,鈥 I say.
鈥淚 know,鈥 Pieter agrees. He shows me snapshots of Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson, each hanging out in this obscure little coffee shop, and continues. 鈥淎merica鈥檚 two most famous pot smokers told me all about America.鈥
The kid chimes in. 鈥淗ollanders 鈥 even those who don鈥檛 smoke 鈥 they believe soft drugs鈥ou know, pot, hash鈥t shouldn鈥檛 be a crime.鈥
鈥淲hat do your parents think?鈥 I ask.
鈥淭hey think the youth have a problem. My dad says, 鈥楬olland will get the bill later on.鈥欌
鈥淎nd other countries鈥oesn鈥檛 legal pot in Holland cause them a problem?鈥 I ask.
鈥淎ctually, it鈥檚 not legal here,鈥 he reminds me, 鈥渏ust tolerated. Officially, we can鈥檛 legalize anything because your country made these world treaties.鈥
鈥淭he French complain about Holland鈥檚 popularity with drug users, but they have a worse problem with illegal hard drugs,鈥 Pieter adds. 鈥淗ere, the police know exactly what鈥檚 going on and where.鈥
鈥淚n many states, American prisons are filled with pot offenders,鈥 I tell him.
鈥淭ake your choice,鈥 he says. 鈥淎llow for alternative ways of living or build more prisons. Here in Holland, pot is like cigarettes. We smoke it. We pay taxes. We don鈥檛 go to jail.鈥
This article was adapted from Rick鈥檚 new book, For the Love of Europe.
Rick Steves () writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. You can email Rick at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.
