National Zoo Pandas Say Goodbye

We didn’t know it at the time, but I’m glad we had a chance to visit the National Zoo panda house last November. We have visited the zoo a few times since we moved to DC seventeen years ago. So when we learned a while ago that the pandas would be returned to China this week, we were very sad to hear about it. They have been in the news constantly before and since we came to the area. We went to the zoo last year to take some photos for my weekly challenge and ended up strolling over to visit the black and white puff balls. I would have liked to get a bit closer, but they were hanging around the far side of the enclosure. But at least they were out. Being November it wasn’t very busy so we had plenty of room to gawk. My husband hates zoos, but I sort of grew up on them - especially Busch Gardens in Florida. That is in fact the first time we got to see the visiting pandas way back in the 1980’s. So the news was filled with panda stories this week and when the fedex trucks carted them off to Dulles airport everyone felt it. Hopefully they will get to come back again. Every one misses them. 

A Visit to the Smithsonian National Zoo

When we first moved to DC sixteen years ago one of the first places we visited was the Smithsonian National Zoo. We returned a year or two later when our friends came for a visit. We have passed by the zoo a few times when we drive along Connecticut Avenue. It’s funny to have such a remarkable place located in the heart of the city. This week I needed to get photos of animals for my weekly challenge, so we thought this might be a good place for some options. So on Monday we headed out to the zoo. It’s only about eight miles away and it didn’t take us long to get there driving through Palisades and towards NW DC. The zoo wasn’t very busy at that time of the morning. Although the zoo is free, the parking on the grounds was thirty dollars. I suppose we could have found metered parking but we were too lazy. Since we didn’t really look at the map before we arrived we just meandered through whatever path came our way. We started out at the monkey house, then the snakes and turtles. A lot of the critters could not be seen on the outside because it was too cold. The snapping turtle was ferocious looking. We were lucky to see the caretakers feed the lemur, giant tortoise and ostrich. We got up close to an elephant and saw the bison in the distance. We passed by a dancing black bear on our way to see the pandas. The pandas were too far away, but at least we had a chance to see them. My husband doesn’t like seeing any animals in captivity but I find it interesting. It’s nice to be able to visit - especially when it’s quiet. I wonder what time of the year the animals prefer?