I am in the Portuguese town of Alcutim. The Spanish town of San Lucar sits across the river. They are in different timezones. I am thinking of staying here an extra week, celebrating the New Year across the river and then ferrying back to celebrate it again an hour later! #portugal #españa #guadiana #timezones #newyear

Went to see the 5000 year old standing stones of Lavajo in Portugal. They stand on a hill in a rural location accessible via a rough dirt road. The quiet was only interrupted by a herd of goats, their bells ringing as they passed. #lavajo #portugal #lichens #LichenSubscribe #menhir #standingstone #megalith

I might have known that chameleons made it as far north as southern Portugal but this sign still surprised me. They are hard to see, for obvious reasons. #chameleons #reptiles #lizards #portugal #algarve

The Allard Pierson in Amsterdam is a great and overlooked museum right in the city center. Today, they had some tables setup where you can sit down and sort through 400 year old shit (literally stuff found under the toilets) for everything from animal bones to plants and metal? #allardpierson #amsterdam #museum #archaeology

Got up this morning at 7am and hopped on my bike to Bakhuys bakery where I had coffee and a croissant. Then hopped back on the bike to the Oude Kerk in the heart of the old city. There I sat and watched the dawn break through the church windows as an accordionist played Bach's Goldberg Variations. #Amsterdam #OudeKerk #Bach #Accordion #VincentVanAmsterdam #Bakhuys

Still on the subject of books this is the Natural History part of the bookshelves. And mosses have their own literature. The BBS field guide on mosses is the classic and what I started with but Michael Luths 3 volume illustrated Mosses of Europe is so beautifully photographed and such a labor of love. I consider it a work of Art. Smiths book is filled with fantastic, surreal drawings. #moss #mosstodon #bbs #britishbryologicalsociety

Oh excellent! My mom brought me the books I wanted from Mexico. Desague is a fascinating book depicting the hidden Venice that Mexico City originally was and the remnants that still lie inside today's urban monster. #cdmx #literature #bookstodon #literatura #libros

Saw the opera BLUE tonight. It is about a Black NYC police officer and his family. His own son is killed by cops. Reminded me of a Greek tragedy with all the lamentation and also the generational curse - in this case that of just being born Black. Spare but beautiful production. European premiere at the Dutch National Opera. Everyone should see this. #opera #amsterdam

Cool, clear autumn days here in Amsterdam. My local park. #Amsterdam #SarphatiPark #Autumn

Something in this painting on the cover of this book looks familiar. It is a 1653 painting by Emanuel de Witte. It is the red buildings which remind me of Edward Hopper! Those buildings in Early Sunday Morning. Of course Hopper painted Harlem which, as its name suggests, had Dutch style houses.#Harlem #painting #Dutch #EdwardHopper