Amsterdam, Day 5

Love this dog sculpture in the window.

1. Stained glass everywhere in this city, lots of places tiny, tiny pieces in intricate patterns. The colors, shades of blue and green mostly, are so old, and it looks like lead between the panes

2. Everyone here speaks impeccible English. Wish I were better with languages

3. The houses are so beautiful. Many are brick, with white trim. Patterns in the brick. And many have plaques centered on the building, or up high. The one across the street from our hotel room is a dancer, with a long flowing costume a la Isodora Duncan. Yesterday we saw Golden-Gate-bridge-orange stags on a creamy background

4. Our hotel, Hotel Roemer, has a 70s-reminicient couch with stripes in fall colors and leather chairs surrounding a fireplace. It's been a lovely place to sit and talk for an hour or so after a day of walking around the city and before going out at night.

5. Amsterdam is of course absolutely its own place, but it reminds me a lot of San Francisco and Boston, with the brick (Boston) and the little shops and restaurants, asethetics are clearly very important (everything everywhere is "just so") and the buildings are so close they touch

Train to Berlin tomorrow. Having such fun on vacation.