35. Amsterdam, Part 1, De Kosmos 1970

The first thing to do In Amsterdam was to walk to Dam Square.  In the 60's and the 70's it was practically taken over by the hippie movement.  People were there 24 hours a day sleeping, talking, smoking, eating, greeting, drumming, dancing, chanting, mediating, and  playing music.  There was always something happening.  It was the hub of the city where you found anything you needed or where to get it.

My initial visit at Dam Square was just a quiet midday visit sitting in the sun soaking in the environment (smells, sights and sounds).  It was crowded but not filled with the normal discord associated with a crowd.   It was busy, yet mellow at the same time.  There were many tourists and hippies sitting and mixing with the local business crowd who were out eating lunch and visiting with each other.  The sort of inspiration for Donovan's "Mellow Yellow".

Dam Square

After locating the American Express Office to check for the wired funds from my parents.  I found I had received nothing from home yet, so started my walk around the city.  Amsterdam was quite nice, whether the sun was shining or even during a summer rain.  It was a nice afternoon walking in the sun.  It was like walking in a storybook with people pedaling to and fro, and children playing in the parks under their parents watchful eye.

Kosmos

After a while, I found my way down past the  famous Red Light District to a little known (at that time) club called Kosmos.  It wasn't a typical club.  It started as a club in 1968 named Fantasio.  Groups were booked  in conjunction with the Paradiso club.  They booked groups such as Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane and Mothers of Invention.  Many times the groups would go from doing a set in one club followed with the next set being performed in the other club.  The Paradiso continued on over the years.  In 1969 The Fantasio changed to "De Kosmos, a meditation/new age centre".


I will try to describe it.  You walk up a few steps into the building.  Once inside there is a small counter on your left where you payed a nominal fee to enter and leaving your backpacks behind the counter .  You just leave your backpacks, you don't check them in, they just go into a big pile.  On the right is a person behind a table selling a choice selection of various flavors of rolled joints, both marijuana and hashish along with a selection of individual packets of small amounts of loose "herb".   De Kosmos was licensed to sell "soft" drugs.  Included are also little trinkets and paraphernalia. Further in, you find a few books for sale and loan on various subjects, i.e. Yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Astrology, Cannabis and the Legalization of Drugs and Meditation.  You could also find a small variety of books written by people like Allen Ginsburg, a couple different Swamis, Piet Hein, Gibrahn, Baba Ram Dass, Richard Brautigan and others.

Walking in a bit further, you found yourself in a large spacious sunken room with various sitting cushions placed in small nooks along with a few chairs and benches. In one of these nooks was person rumored to be one of the Mothers of Invention reading a storybook to one of his children.  In other nooks you would find some Hare Krishna people trying to chat up some people and then take them alone down into one of the meditation  rooms in the cellar.  They were soon banned from the center.    Off to the side of the room was a set of stairs that led up to two more floors.  The next floor was set up with psychedelic patterns and videos being projected on the walls with music of the 60's and 1970 concurrently being played.  This was the room where you could use the soft drugs you purchased downstairs.  No drug use was allowed on the main floor.  If they had a band, the band performed on the almost soundproof third floor. 

Further in the building, on the main floor, was a large room that has been credited as one of the first Zen Macrobiotic restaurants. Once again, the cost was minimal.  It was what you could afford to put in the jar, a sort of good will pay it foreword restaurant.  It had an amazingly quick staff and a fantastic cook.  Everything was delicious (I was told).   I did not get a chance to try different things.  Judy would not let me.

Courtney

Alicia

My waitress/cook was Judy.  Judy was not verbal.  I don't know whether it was by choice or not.  I do know she was one of the "gifted" people.  I know a couple of the "gifted" people.  One is my daughter Alicia, who talks with animals, as opposed to those that make up conversations and imagine the animals response.  My daughter actually has real conversations with them.  I also know another "gifted" young woman a MicMac named Courtney, who listens to the trees talk.  Well Judy would walk up to you, take a good look at you,  and without asking what you wanted, would turn around back into the kitchen, cook, and then return with what you needed.  No one argued with Judy!  If you wanted something else you were asked to leave by "the management".  What I was served was delicious.  I still don't know what it was, but was well pleased with what I was served.  If I remember correctly I ate there for a couple of days and felt much better.

This was just part of My Amsterdam in 1970.  Hopefully, I will have the other half written next week!