On Tuesday afternoon, we drove the 13km or so from the hotel to the Zurich Zoo.  It was Ty’s first time to a zoo and Manu and Micah’s second.  The only other zoo they went to was the DeYoung Zoo which is more like a rescue/rehabilitation.  They were super-excited to see some animals in real life!

It was an exciting drive there until we stepped out of the car.  One great thing about this hotel is that it has a connected heated garage.  The downfall is that we have no idea what the weather is like outside.  It was CHILLY.  The boys had fleece jackets on, but that wasn’t enough.  So, we spent the first 15 minutes in the zoo gift shop where we proceeded to the hat/socks/sweater section.  The bill was a bit painful, but if we were going to enjoy the zoo without the expense of getting sick, we had no other option.  The boys came out with 2 fleece lion and penguin hats and we bought a pair of elephant socks for Ty’s feet.  We put the socks he was wearing on his hands.  Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. 

It was only expected that once we stepped foot outside of the gift shop, that it started raining.  So, headed to the indoor acquarium to see the fish and other water creatures.  The rain did stop, though, so we were able to see nearly all of the animals and overall have a fun time together!  Overall it was a very nice zoo with good facilities for the animals.  The elephant exhibit was not cool, but the others were quite spacious with lots of natural elements like real trees and live vegetation.  It was nice how most of the animals always had the option of going into an enclosed, hidden shelter if they wanted to.  They also fed the predators whole animal carcasses…which was a bit gruesome, but good I guess.  After seeing that, Manu looked at some of the oryx and hoped that the wolves wouldn’t get them too. 

Biggest disappoint?  No giraffes…Micah’s favorite animal.  Biggest perk?  Owls…Israel’s favorite bird.  Lots of different species of owls including a couple of magnificent Great Horned Owls!  We were able to take lots of video footage with the Flip.  After a few hours spent with the animals, we called it a day. 

We’re excited for the ASI convention to begin!  Until next time…Guten Tag!