Day 2: Amsterdam

Somehow, this trip continues to be more about sleep than about actually seeing stuff. This morning, I slept in more than I'd anticipated, causing me to miss the free breakfast at the hostel. Then when I got back to the hostel in the afternoon I lay down for a minute to rest, and woke up an hour and a half later. Thankfully, in between I managed to actually go places and see stuff, so I don't feel like a complete failure of a traveller, yet.

First stop was the Rijksmuseum, or the wing of it that's still open during their renovations. It was over an hour's wait for a not-very-large collection (at least compared to the likes of the Uffizi or the Prado), but it was worth it to see Rembrandt's Night Watch. It's made especially impressive by the addition of Peter Greenaway's video installation Nightwatching, which at once reveals a lot of the backstory behind the painting and turns it into something of a Laser Rembrandt show.

After the Rijks, it was the Van Gogh museum for the Rembrandt-Caravaggio exhibit. This time, I was smart enough to pre-buy my tickets and was able to jump the line. I quite enjoyed the exhibit itself, especially since the complimentary audio guides provided some nice background and analysis. I also took a quick run through the main Van Gogh gallery, but I didn't linger since I've seen it a couple times before.

I've got an early flight to Krakow in the morning, so I'll probably spend a little time wandering around the neighbourhoods near my hostel before heading to bed early. That's if I know what's good for me, which I probably don't.