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 ========================================================================= Message-Id: Date: Wed, 24 Mar 93 17:57 EET From: jlaiho@ichaos.nullnet.fi (Juha Laiho) To: cklausme@jarthur.claremont.edu Subject: Re: ARCHIVE: europe In article you write: >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 couple of comments to your guide. This is based on my InterRail journey around the continental Europe last summer. > 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. True.. >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 You don't have to look for. When you come into Christiania, there'll be people hissing "hash" to your ears. Didn't test the quality at that time, though (I've had hash just two times). I visited Christiania just to really see what it is. And I kinda liked it. I think if one would like to buy anything there, he ought to go to the Cafe' Woodstock, near the main entrance. Anyway, ALL drugs are illegal in the Denmark, it's just that local authorities look Christiania through their fingers. And the Christianians don't want trouble with the authorities, so EVERYTHING BUT HASH/GRASS is explicitly FORBIDDEN in Christiania. >Carlseberg and Tubourg breweries are worth a visit. Sp: Carlsberg, Tuborg. > Amsterdam, need we say more. I was there last month and the price Don't forget the Heineken brewery museum. Great place, they have (naturally:) English-speaking guides.. A tour lasts around 2 hours. 1 hour of knowledge about beer and brewing, including history of beer &c. 1 hour of beer; drink as much as you want. If you happen to have birthday when you visit there, they may have some surprise for you. And this guided tour costs (err.. not sure about this..) 2 guilders. Includes the beer. Hicc..BURP! Warning! Heineken beer is quite strong.. ..Wolf