Amsterdam (part 2)

About an hour ago, we boarded the overnight train to Berlin so this seems like a good time to recap our 2nd and final day in Amsterdam. We started the day by catching a bus back to Central Station. 

From there we headed (on foot) to Old Church. I should note here that the streets were literally covered in trash from the New Year's Eve festivities the night before. It wasn't pretty, but the street sweepers seemed to be out in full force so I expect that the situation was remedied relatively quickly.  After the Old Church, we split up for a little free time. We met up again at noon to tour the Anne Frank house, which was pretty humbling. To think about what the Franks endured makes you appreciate the freedoms and rights that we typically take for granted. However, the exhibit also served as a reminder that there are still many groups around the world that are on the receiving end of unacceptable discrimination. 

After the Anne Frank house, we walked down to The Pancake Bakery for lunch. One word....delicious! When in Amsterdam, you must eat pancakes. They had dozens of varieties. Neal and I each ordered something different so we could sample two different kinds, banana and bacon/cheese/onion. We both agreed that the banana pancake was the better of the two. 

After lunch we took a canal cruise around the city. It was a nice way to see the city and learn about the significance of some of the buildings. After we got off the cruise, we took a tram to the bus station, caught a bus back to the hotel to pick up our bags, and then made our way back to the train station to catch the overnight train to Berlin. All the while, it was pouring rain. By the time we all got back to the station, we were soaking wet, but still in fairly good spirits. We bought some snacks for the long ride, and then headed to the platform to wait for the train. As soon as it arrived, things got a little crazy. I can't really describe in words the chaos that ensued, but I can say that we all made it to our couchettes with minimal damage, which is really the Important part. And the couchettes.....looking back it was almost comical, but, at the time, our introduction to the couchette was a somewhat traumatic experience (for me, at least). Six people with six bags/suitcases all trying to fit into something equivalent in size to a handicapped accessible bathroom stall.  

(You can't see them all, but there are actually six bunks in this room. There are four visible in the photo and two more below that.)

I thought someone (me) might have a mini-meltdown, but, once we figured out where and how to store our things, everything was fine. Crisis averted. Now we are unwinding (reading, blogging, journaling, listening to music, and sleeping) for the day and looking forward to starting it all over again tomorrow at 4:30am in Berlin.