Left and Right
Our reserved time in Copenhagen was over and it was time to leave. We had decided to take trains to get to our final destination of Apeldoorn, Netherlands, with the whole journey expected to take 16 hours.
We wanted to get some final things from the convenience store (Netto) before we left. All I really wanted was a bag of my beloved wasabi covered nuts.
On the way back, we heard a bit of noise from very close to where our room was. As we round the corner we see two women across the street laughing at someone (clearly their friend) in a full body shark costume. The costume was one of those that is full of a lot of air and looks inflated. Of course, we laugh a bit, then the shark notices us, pauses...and gives us a tiny, but very quick and animated wave. Honestly, I didn't want to leave Copenhagen anymore. That place is just so whimsical. Maybe this is really mundane to everyone else, but our pillows were full of ACTUAL FEATHERS. Also a sign for dogs that said something like "woof woof arf arf", and even mystical music that seemed to be coming from the sky one morning.
Anyway, Deutsche Bahn...
It is honestly, even still, exhausting to think about. I can remember at least two of our trains not being able to arrive at our final stops. They were all delayed. I had to stand up against the door in one of them because it was so crammed full of people, one of which being a talkative American, which made me really conscious of my own accent and gave me even more motivation to speak Dutch as much as possible. At the end of that train ride a German man told us to quickly go to the left and right as we exited, to make way for everyone else. As the train slowed down he said a few times: "remember, left and right." He had such a funny aura about him that I can't quite describe. The next train was pretty boring but comfortable.
Finally! we arrived at our last station in Germany. We got our luggage out pretty quick, and...the doors shut right in front of us. This train, which had been consistently stopping for upwards of 10 seconds, only opened the doors for around 5 seconds at our stop. I guess we are going to Münster...
We sat down at the very cold and empty platform (It was something like 2 AM) and eventually decided to get a new train from here to the Netherlands. We had a couple of hours to wait until this train came, so we went down to the only shop that was open in the station and I got a salad and some takis. I found the takis not as good as the ones in America. Anyway, this was when the crackhead beggars started to pester us. The first one was a nice girl who quietly asked me if I had € 8 for her to get home. Or a cigarette. I did not realize at the time that she was probably lying. Then, a guy missing an eye stopped by us that was clearly acting completely strange. He tried to make small talk but was mostly just eyeing us, gesturing at us, and making this "ayy" sound under his breath, then stopping, and then seeming to forget that he decided to stop. That was the strongest I'd ever had such a strong feeling in my gut that I was in danger. I quickly made up an excuse to leave. As we turned the corner, we saw someone getting arrested. A bit later, another beggar approached us, now right in front of the police. We left for the platform because I was not enjoying my time in the station itself. The one other person on the platform also got questioned and searched by the police. Fuck Münster station.
When we crossed the Dutch border and disembarked at Enschede, It was also quite empty. Andrei was getting something from a vending machine when a random guy said something to me. I was fully expecting another beggar, until he said "this store here is opening in 5 minutes, it's cheaper." The station was really nice, the train was nice, the people had a friendly vibe. It felt like I was saved. The ride to Apeldoorn was very smooth, and disembarking felt like stepping into a dream. Dutch cities look one way in photos or video but of course feel very different in person. Maybe this feeling is so strong compared to other places because I have been wanting to live in the Netherlands for so long, and have been familiarized with the look and sound. Arriving at our apartment was easy, and very nice compared to the small room in Copenhagen. Our host is also so nice.
I love how easy it is to get from one place to another in Europe, but in the Netherlands this is completely different. Maybe it is just the central location, but it feels like anything I could want is just around the corner. I haven't had to use a bus yet. The people also seem like they all act like your friend, without getting in the way. This is such a huge difference compared to England next door, where everyone is miserable and evil.