Sunday, February 15, 2009
Wilhelma Zoo
Yes, I’m waaaaaay behind on posting updates from some of our excursions and activities. I’ve set a goal of getting everything posted before the one-year anniversary of the trips, which means I really need to keep plugging along. Hopefully I can stay on top of things and reach that goal. My target dates are: March -- Israel trip, April -- Netherlands and Normandy, June/July -- Garmisch, and July -- Paris. That will get me up-to-date with all our major excursions. So, without further ado, here’s the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart.
Last February, we spent a day at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart. The Wilhelma was originally a royal palace, mimicking Moorish architecture, but after World War II it was gradually converted into a zoo. The royal-looking buildings really add to the beauty of they zoo, as seen here at the entrance. The zoo is Europe’s only large combined zoological and botanical garden and is home to countless exotic plants from over 5,000 different species. The greenhouses were nice and warm when we needed a break from the chilly temps outside.
The kids had a blast exploring the zoo and trying to find as many different animals as possible. We didn’t even come close to seeing all of the zoo’s more than 8,000 animals from over 1,000 different species. I didn’t have any objectives that day other than having a relaxing day, so I let the kids decide which paths we’d take and which animals to search out. It made for a very enjoyable day.
We walked past the elephants several times.
We were intrigued with the white-handed Gibbon monkeys and how adept they were at using their tails. It was almost like they had third arms, which they used for maintaining their balance as they walked across the ropes.
These hippopotamuses enjoyed the fresh water sprayed into their mouths when the zoo employee joined them to clean their pen. They were almost completely submerged in the water until the fresh water came out of the hose, then they opened up and said “AAAHHHHH.”
Benjamin enjoyed the Hippo House, and ran between the exhibits for the larger hippopotamuses and this pigmy hippopotamus.
These hyacinth macaws were very loud -- I don’t know that I’ve ever heard birds quite so loud before! And they didn’t quit, either. They kept squawking and squawking and squawking.
The giraffes were amazing. They moved slowly on their long legs, but still had a somewhat graceful quality to them. We managed to get an even more up-close look at them from inside their house when they came in for the night.
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Last February, we spent a day at the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart. The Wilhelma was originally a royal palace, mimicking Moorish architecture, but after World War II it was gradually converted into a zoo. The royal-looking buildings really add to the beauty of they zoo, as seen here at the entrance. The zoo is Europe’s only large combined zoological and botanical garden and is home to countless exotic plants from over 5,000 different species. The greenhouses were nice and warm when we needed a break from the chilly temps outside.
The kids had a blast exploring the zoo and trying to find as many different animals as possible. We didn’t even come close to seeing all of the zoo’s more than 8,000 animals from over 1,000 different species. I didn’t have any objectives that day other than having a relaxing day, so I let the kids decide which paths we’d take and which animals to search out. It made for a very enjoyable day.We walked past the elephants several times.
We were intrigued with the white-handed Gibbon monkeys and how adept they were at using their tails. It was almost like they had third arms, which they used for maintaining their balance as they walked across the ropes.
These hippopotamuses enjoyed the fresh water sprayed into their mouths when the zoo employee joined them to clean their pen. They were almost completely submerged in the water until the fresh water came out of the hose, then they opened up and said “AAAHHHHH.”
Benjamin enjoyed the Hippo House, and ran between the exhibits for the larger hippopotamuses and this pigmy hippopotamus.
These hyacinth macaws were very loud -- I don’t know that I’ve ever heard birds quite so loud before! And they didn’t quit, either. They kept squawking and squawking and squawking.
The giraffes were amazing. They moved slowly on their long legs, but still had a somewhat graceful quality to them. We managed to get an even more up-close look at them from inside their house when they came in for the night.What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary
