2 gorgeous weather days in a row

It was another beauty in Amsterdam. B. and I took a very long walk down through the Rembrandt Park and Vondel Park over into the center; T; stayed home and worked and joined us later. Dinner was Thai. In between was the best philosophy talk in ages; though it would be hard to condense the conclusions into postable form. Maybe a few isolated gems will come to mind and then I will post them here.

I noticed some exotic-looking green birds in the Vondelpark; can’t remember whether I saw them when I lived here or not. I was told they are parrots that escaped from the zoo some years ago, were thought to have no chance of surviving European winters, but survived and flourished anyway. It was a bit of a shock to see them there.

At the botanical garden, the most notable thing was probably walking inside the butterfly house. Whereas we remarked earlier that Amsterdam pigeons are skilled navigators and can hover and land close by you without ever touching your body, the butterflies were of course much clumsier. None ever hit my cheeks, but I did feel several graze the top of my head. One had transparent wings with blue veins. The bee hives in the garden were another highlight.

The botanical garden is in Spinoza’s old neighborhood; a number of the buildings are still there. The actual site of his childhood home is a matter of dispute, but a learned local academic once told me that it’s now believed to have been at the site of the large church next to the city hall. Rembrandt’s house is a block away, and as I recall it was believed to be a somewhat risqué choice for Rembrandt to purchase a house at the edge of the Jewish Quarter.

Not leaving for London tomorrow until almost evening, so there will be plenty of chance to enjoy Amsterdam for one more day. A nice Easter brunch is planned here in the house.

Some good discussions about Derrida today in particular, but maybe will wait until they’ve reached more articulate form to post some of the highlights.