This summer, the vacation headed south. After a first stop in Kehl on the Rhine, it was just a short bike ride across the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the river into the French city of Strasbourg. The contrast couldn’t be greater: Strasbourg, with its medieval charm and beautiful old buildings throughout the city center, versus Kehl on the opposite bank, built more functionally and radiating a 1960s vibe.
I had learned through a conversation that there is a zoo in the Netherlands dedicated entirely to monkeys. A quick bit of research revealed that it was Apenheul in Apeldoorn. So, just like that, another destination was added to the zoo list.
It's only been two years since I last visited the NaturZoo Rheine. But even now in autumn, the zoo has its charm. The focus here is on the many species of monkeys that can be observed. Whether it's the lemurs, macaques, or the impressive geladas in their large enclosure. The monkey forest, where you can have close contact with Barbary macaques, whether you want to or not, had already impressed me in my childhood.
Emsflower is the largest nursery in Europe, located in Emsbüren. I had been to the store a few times, but there is also a section connected to the main building where various gardens with animals can be found. One part is a tropical garden with many plants and a large pond where a multitude of butterflies of various species can be observed.
The zoo visits continued this year, and there was a premiere. Although I had studied in Bochum for many years, I was not aware that there was a zoo here. So, on a beautiful autumn day, I chose it as my destination and was really amazed. The exact name is Tierpark and Fossilium Bochum. It is not particularly large, but very beautiful.
For work, I had to go to South Carolina in the USA for two weeks in mid-August. Since I had two days over the weekend to see something, I spent the first day exploring the historic center of Charleston and the following day at Boone Hall Plantation. Charleston is the largest city in South Carolina, and despite the Southern battles and an earthquake in the 19th century, much of the historic center is still preserved.
This year’s summer vacation took me to the island of the United Kingdom. After initial problems due to the weather, which caused a significant delay in the departure, I finally arrived in London at night. The next day, the lively city was explored. Of course, the usual sights such as the Tower, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben were a must. Additionally, a visit to the Natural History Museum was on the agenda.
After several years, I visited the zoo in Duisburg again and I must say that a lot has changed. Like in many other zoos, the enclosures here have been enlarged and made more natural, so that not only did you have a good view of the animals, but they also had more space including retreat options.
A few years ago, I had already visited the zoo at Emmen once. Back then, it was still located in the city center and quite cramped, which made me feel genuinely sorry for many of the animal species due to their often very small enclosures. At that time, however, the new zoo was already under construction, and now that it had relocated, I wanted to see what had been created here.
Shortly after Easter I made use of a stay at Nordhorn to take a look after many years to the meanwhile extremely redesigned zoo. The zoo is not only on German side very popular but due to the neighborhood to the German-Dutch borderline also at the bordering country.