What it's like riding an overnight train from Denmark to The Netherlands. I don't think this is the night train Jason Aldean was singing about.
Hour 1: Boarded the train in Copenhagen at 6:45 in the evening. Found the compartment on the train that will be my home for the next fifteen hours. Chat with the only other guy in the compartment a Swedesh guy who's riding the train to visit his girlfriend, who lives all the way in England.
Hour 3: An older woman entered our compartment and, when the conductor checked her ticket, she asked for the seats to be made into beds. The conductor then flipped the seat backs up to make six sleeping places, beds stacked three high on each side of the compartment. Shortly after, the German police came on the train to inspect passports. They had a hard time finding my stamp. I listened to the local radio, which had a mix of European pop music and American hits. I casually wonder if making listening to the radio while traveling a priority makes me old-fashioned.
Hour 4: Since it wasn't too late and everyone in the car was sleeping, I watched The Way Way Back on my tablet. It was good, but nothing too memorable. A fourth person joined our compartment. He carried a large backpack.
Hour 6: When the movie ended, I tried to sleep. A group of men were having a loud conversation in the next compartment, and the walls were thin. Lying down was more relaxing than sitting, but the jolting of the train car wasn't entirely conductive to sleeping.
Hour 7: Apparently, I had fallen asleep, since I drowsily awoke when the train pulled into Hamburg at just before 2:00 AM. I have no idea who decides to catch a 2:00 AM train, but there were a few people on the platform.
Hour 8: A while later, in Hannover, the train was stopped for a while as it was broken off and sent in different directions. When I boarded the train in Copenhagen, not all the cars on the train were going to Amsterdam. Some were headed to Switzerland and others to the Czech Republic. This is where the cars split up and joined different engines to take them where they needed to go. The older woman in the bunk below me was snoring quite loudly for a while.
Hour 11: I slept for a while after that. I awoke to the conductor announcing that we were 30 minutes from Cologne. All three of the people in my compartment woke up and packed their things. When the train pulled into the huge German train station, I was the only one left in my compartment.
Hour 13: I switched the beds back into seats and watched the daylight grow brighter. The train crossed the border into The Netherlands, but no one checked my passport. Flowers and trees are in bloom here. Back in Denmark, everything was still in its winter slumber. Here, nature is blooming.
Hour 15: Despite the mildly restful sleep, I step off the train in Amsterdam feeling ready to tackle the day. I bought a ticket and caught a small train to Haarlem, where I'll spend the night. In a real, actual bed this time.
Hour 1: Boarded the train in Copenhagen at 6:45 in the evening. Found the compartment on the train that will be my home for the next fifteen hours. Chat with the only other guy in the compartment a Swedesh guy who's riding the train to visit his girlfriend, who lives all the way in England.
Hour 3: An older woman entered our compartment and, when the conductor checked her ticket, she asked for the seats to be made into beds. The conductor then flipped the seat backs up to make six sleeping places, beds stacked three high on each side of the compartment. Shortly after, the German police came on the train to inspect passports. They had a hard time finding my stamp. I listened to the local radio, which had a mix of European pop music and American hits. I casually wonder if making listening to the radio while traveling a priority makes me old-fashioned.
Hour 4: Since it wasn't too late and everyone in the car was sleeping, I watched The Way Way Back on my tablet. It was good, but nothing too memorable. A fourth person joined our compartment. He carried a large backpack.
Hour 6: When the movie ended, I tried to sleep. A group of men were having a loud conversation in the next compartment, and the walls were thin. Lying down was more relaxing than sitting, but the jolting of the train car wasn't entirely conductive to sleeping.
Hour 7: Apparently, I had fallen asleep, since I drowsily awoke when the train pulled into Hamburg at just before 2:00 AM. I have no idea who decides to catch a 2:00 AM train, but there were a few people on the platform.
Hour 8: A while later, in Hannover, the train was stopped for a while as it was broken off and sent in different directions. When I boarded the train in Copenhagen, not all the cars on the train were going to Amsterdam. Some were headed to Switzerland and others to the Czech Republic. This is where the cars split up and joined different engines to take them where they needed to go. The older woman in the bunk below me was snoring quite loudly for a while.
Hour 11: I slept for a while after that. I awoke to the conductor announcing that we were 30 minutes from Cologne. All three of the people in my compartment woke up and packed their things. When the train pulled into the huge German train station, I was the only one left in my compartment.
Hour 13: I switched the beds back into seats and watched the daylight grow brighter. The train crossed the border into The Netherlands, but no one checked my passport. Flowers and trees are in bloom here. Back in Denmark, everything was still in its winter slumber. Here, nature is blooming.
Hour 15: Despite the mildly restful sleep, I step off the train in Amsterdam feeling ready to tackle the day. I bought a ticket and caught a small train to Haarlem, where I'll spend the night. In a real, actual bed this time.
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