Sleeper Train to Warsaw

Friday 11/12.
I was very excited and a little nervous to be taking the 15 hour overnight train from Amsterdam to Warsaw to see my parents for the weekend. It turned out to be on the better decisions of the trip and a great experience.
I made my way out of the hotel close to 4 to head to Amsterdam Central station for my 7:00 train. It is really easy to get around in Europe, they have efficient, cheap, and frequent buses to train stations, and then you can take the train anywhere. I wish we had that kind of travel infrastructure here in the US. I hopped on the 300 express bus to Haarlem Station for 2 Euros and then bought a one way ticket into Amsterdam for less than 5.
I arrived in Amsterdam Central before 5, which was way to earlier and gave me too much time to freak out over little things...
I found my platform but my train wasn't listed. There was a big crowed so I figured I was in the right place. I overheard people saying that this was the train to Copenhagen, which really got my thinking that I was in the wrong place. Finally, about 20 minutes before the train arrived they put up the information.
It turns out that the sleeper train goes to a number of different places depending on which cabin you get in. I thought that was really interesting. If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, you would end up in Copenhagen. Luckily, I found the Warsaw train but was confused when I found 3 seats in my cabin instead of 2 beds. The conductor, who didn't speak English, then came in and folded the seats down and the beds popped out of the wall. It was a pretty neat set up. Then he took ticket AND return ticket for overnight keeping, which really freaked me out. I usually don't worry about stuff like this. There was also no dining car, which I found really strange on such a long journey!
I was all alone in my cabin for 3-4 hours until the trained pulled into Stuttgart close to midnight. There, a German dentist became my bunk mate, but we held off on the conversation until the morning.
Sleeping on the train was a breeze. I got about 10 hours and it was really nice to recharge after working two countries. I woke up close to 8 and eventually started chatting with the man who got on last night.
There was a language barrier, but we managed to talk in broken English for a few hours. We talked about all sorts of weird things: how China will be the next super power, pre WWI Europe, and a brief history of Poland and the kings on their currency. He was a fascinating guy. He also insisted that I eat at the U Iducharzy restaurant in the Hotel Europejski as he gave me a history about that as well.
The conductor came in when we were about 2 hours from Warsaw with my return ticket and complimentary chocolate filled croissants. I found it strange that I wasn't that hungry, but hadn't eaten in close to 15 or 16 hours.
The only downside to the whole experience was that it was a night train and I didn't get a chance to see the German country side as we rolled through. It was light enough by the time we crossed into Poland to see though. The countryside is very quaint, dotted with brightly colored houses amid hills and dead woods.
We arrived in Warsaw about an hour later than scheduled, but I was completely refreshed and ready to cram as many sights as possible into my brief stay (the Graham family way!). I am very glad I opted for the train instead of the much faster flight.