No, thats not an Italian Cathedral, thats home to spineless creators (of the oceanic variety)! Like I mentioned yesterday, I spent some time Sunday at the National Zoo. Normally I find zoos really depressing: caged animals with sad expressions on their faces, scrutinized all day long isn't my idea of a fun time! However, the Washington National Zoo was fantastic! Run by a branch of the Smithsonian (isn't everything in DC?), it recently underwent extensive but ongoing renovations. Many of the buildings are from the 1930s and are really charming.
A detail from the Elephant's home. First stop was into the Aviary section -one of the large outdoor cages that you could go into was from the early 70s and contained a very friendly peacock seen below. I thought the structure ingenius! Light and airy, just enough to hold it up: pure grace!
He was seriously about 6 inches away. Also in the aviary were these two unusual blue birds nesting together. I think they're friends! I loved their lacy 'hats'.
And whats a visit to an aviary without flamingos! So many different hues of color! BEAUTIFUL!
The gorillas had this beautiful stone building to call home. Notice all the little statues of creatures on the roof; Warding off evil spirits perhaps? They were of lions, tigers & bears (OH MY!).
If in Washington on a beautiful day - stop by and visit the zoo, you won't regret it!
And whats a visit to an aviary without flamingos! So many different hues of color! BEAUTIFUL!
Here is the most famous resident of the zoo, the panda! He was adorable, if a bit dirty!
These coral were spectacular -almost neon. I bet they glow in the dark -notice all the neon blue tips?
Like underwater flowers! But it's not all fun and games: while in the wild, one must always be aware of - AGGRESSIVE CRANES! AHHHH!
...and next time you are in NY, you must let me know and I would be happy to take you to the Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Garden, both incredible! Thanks for sharing your trip to the zoo!
ReplyDeleteI love the zoo! Oliver grew up here, and when he was a kid, he befriended the elephant Nancy. He would come once a week with a peanut butter sandwich (this was back when they let you feed them) and he would call "Nan-cy!" and she KNEW him and would come right away!
ReplyDeleteI love that story.
He also took me there once on a surprise date. So romantic...
The DC zoo is fantastic and best of all free. I love the ability to just walk in and out like your going to the park. You can spend just an hour or all day.
ReplyDeleteAlex, that story is like something out of a children's book! Magical!
ReplyDeleteDavid, the park is beautiful. I've heard that people who live nearby can hear all the animals during the night, I think that would be really cool!
Pve, Would love to check out the botanical gardens! I'm sure you'd be an excellent tour guide with your artists eye!
Other David here. The Kansas City zoo had a renovation a few years ago. I've heard it's nice but I've not been. This post makes me want to go even more.
ReplyDeleteGo check out the KC zoo, David! Take lots of pictures to share with us!
ReplyDeleteThe flamingos are certainly perky-pink. I remember reading that the flamingos in the gardens of Buckingham Palace were fed prawns to make them pinker; don't know whether that was a fairy tale; I haven't heard about them recently, so maybe they are no longer kept there. They do tend to shed feathers, and the gardens are now or soon going to be open to the public for the first time, so perhaps it's too impractical. A bit of utterly useless information! (Sorry.)
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