We went to the zoo today.
It was the right kind of day for it. Not too hot. I hate going to the zoo on a sunny day, what everybody else calls “a good day.” First of all, whenever anybody does one thing all at the same
Gorillas in Prague Zoo
time, that becomes a bad time to do that thing. The worst time to go for a drive is during rush hour. The worst time to shop is Christmas. The absolute worst time to go to Ft. Lauderdale is during spring break. Secondly, it’s just unpleasant because of the heat. You start sweating, and you’re standing too close to other sweaty people because, as I’ve said, there are too many people there.
It was a tad more expensive than I’d thought. About the same price as taking a family of 4 to the cinema, which is too danged much. (It’s still a lot less than those of you in the States pay for movie tickets, but it’s not cheap like it used to be.) We spent a bit more on food than we would have at the cinema, but instead of popcorn we had a proper sit down meal at an outdoor cafe. Well, it was a snack stand with tables, but it was nice.
One interesting thing about zoos is it tells you a lot about the people you’re with. “What’s your favorite animal?” tells you far more about a person’s personality than “What’s your zodiac sign?” You get to choose your favorite animal.
Isabel seemed to be fascinated with the seal. He was pretty impressive, shooting across the pool, underwater and sometimes upside down. She wanted to know where he slept, if he had a bed.
Sam’s favorite thing is the snakes. I don’t know where he got that. Apparently, animal empathies are not among the inherited traits. I can’t stand the slimy little creatures and would just as soon skip that pavilion. Sam, however, even said the other day that if he went to Hogwarts, he’d like to be in Slytherin. (Zmijozel, in Czech- they actually translated a lot of names in that book which didn’t need to be translated) Anyway, Isabel kind of likes snakes and lizards and gross stuff like that, too, so I took the kids through the serpent house and Helena (who draws the line at that sort of thing) waited outside.
Her favorite was the kangaroo, who actually did have a little baby in the pouch. It was very cute.
Me, I am a lover of monkeys and apes, because they are the most human like. It’s a paradox, of course, or a bit of straight up hypocrisy if you will, because their humanity also indicates that, of all the animals, they are probably the ones with the sharpest sense of injustice at their being incarcerated in a zoo, kept on a little patch of grass behind a barrier ditch, where all the humans can come and stare at them.
Snakes couldn’t care less.
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