the Zoo

We went to the zoo today. We rode our bikes, because it wasn't very far from our apartment. It was all downhill on the way there, along streets bordered with big trees. We paid our admission ($9) and went in. No one collected the tickets, but you just have to carry them with you in case. The zoo was a lot different from the zoos I've been to. Almost all of the displays had no chain link fences. A person could just climb over the 2 foot high bars or rails, and swim or wade across the moats and go to the animals. But no one did. We saw flamingos, which weren't really pink, more of an orange. We saw bison, and elk, polar bears, penguins, elephants (brown ones and gray ones) wolves, tigers, lions, and all sorts of orangutans and birds. The tiger was the scariest thing, because he was only 3 feet from us, and the only animal behind heavy looking bars. He growled and lunged at people. By the time we were leaving the zoo, we had been walking for 3 hours. It began to thunder, as it does most afternoons. It began raining just as we left, so we had to bike home in the rain. However, the big canopy of trees along the road protected us from most of the moisture. Once home, we rested for awhile. Then we went to dinner. We decided to go for Italian. There is an Italian place right at the end of our street. I got a pizza (I'm planning to stay home tomorrow) and Rob got sambullaca or something like that. We had Bruschetta. wow. That was really good! Just before we left, a man paid his bill and then left, and his wallet was still on the table. We were able to catch him. Also, someone at the zoo dropped a hat, and we yelled "hallo, hallo" at them until they stopped and we could give it to them. And at the bathroom, there was a line of women, and I saw that there were two empty stalls around the corner, so I said "zwei" and pointed, and they got the message. For my limited (very) skills in German, I felt pretty good!