Night train nightmares

So... I don't think I am a fan of night trains. I mean, I like trains... And I like sleep... So you'd really think they would go well together, but they don't. This time going from Copenhagen to Amsterdam was a full 16 hours, and I didn't book a couchette.  Instead, I went with the reclining chair... Which in itself really wouldn't have been too bad. The problem was, that the compartment started out reasonably empty... Just me and another guy. But as the night continued all the seats filled up which meant you actually couldn't recline or put your feet up at all. Sad day!! 

The last train was so hot I thought I might die... Well this one was so cold I thought I would freeze to death! I spent most of the night with my feet pulled up to my chest in this chair just trying to retain as much of my own body heat as possible.  A rain jacket doesn't make much of a blanket... ;) 

Anyway, I was able to stretch out from about 2am on, and got some good sleep in.  And we pulled into Amsterdam with me wide awake and ready for the day!

The first thing I noticed about Amsterdam was the color.  It was even more green than Copenhagen had been and had tons of graffiti everywhere! But it was cool, funky graffiti that added a lot of spice to the station. 

Next thing I noticed, I have to give my father credit for.  There are so many types of birds here!! There were herons and storks and grouse and hawks and swans and geese and a huge assortment of ducks... It was so fun to be able to recognize at least a few!  Ok dad- here's my test to see if you are reading these blogs... (just kidding) I fell in love with these duck-like birds that were all over the canals that were totally black except for white beaks and white that continued up their foreheads. Anyone know what they are? 

Ok enough of my bird rant...  I got to my hostel which was quite a good distance outside the city center.  This was a last minute hostel choice and I wasn't sure how I was feeling about it... It was an all girls hostel called "hostelle".  And oh MY was it girly!! I'm talking... Cheetah print pillows, hello kitty bathrooms, chandeliers,  and chick flicks in massive piles. And no offense guys... But it was the cleanest hostel I have ever seen ;)

After settling in for a bit, I headed back into town.  The public transportation system in Amsterdam is really great. Everything goes through the central station, so no matter where you are, you know that you can get back to a home base.  (Really convenient when you're lost...) So I made it to the Van Gogh museum in plenty of time.  This was the most fabulous art exhibit ever!! They have some of the most famous of his works, something like 200 total paintings from him...which doesn't begin to cover his drawings as well as art from his inspirations and contemporaries.  My favorite section was a detail of his life through his paintings.  They started with his first painting and early years and went through his entire life up to his suicide and the painting said to be his last.   You don't usually get to see that much of one artist's work, and even if you do, they aren't usually chronological.  This was so cool!  You could really see his styles and techniques change as well as the influences of time periods. So awesome. I seriously could have stayed in there forever.  

When I finally did leave, the sun was shining and I had a lovely stroll around that area before heading back to the hostel for the evening.