After a short stop at Liberty (their Advent calendar was released this morning), we leave London and drive North to Chester. There’s a well-known zoo that was on telly recently with a TV series showing the life behind the scenes of the zoo, which was beautiful, surprising and sometimes really sad. We liked it a lot and therefore it’s about time we have a look at the zoo ourselves!

The parking lot gives a preview of how big the zoo is. These are dimensions we only know from larger theme parks. It certainly is bigger than everything we have in Switzerland.

We walk past the elephants which have a HUGE compound complete with a kind of car wash to walk through. Their food hangs up high so they have to stretch their trunks just like in their natural surrounding.

In another equally big compound there’s a camel wallowing in the sand. It seems to feel very comfortable here!

The lions (which aren’t visible very well in the photo) have a copse to themselves. A lot of animals aren’t in sight anyway. It’s not really convenient for visitors but it means that the animals have plenty of space and areas to retreat to which is great for them.

We finally reach a restaurant that we like and have fish and chips with curry sauce.

With new energy, we looks at the owls and cross a dark cave with free flying fruit bats. That’s exciting!

There’s a red panda climbing on the trees. Wow! I can’t remember having ever seen a real one. It’s such a gorgeos and fluffy animal.

We know the giant ant eater from TV. Too bad it isn’t feeding time. Although I can’t remember whether it gets a bucket full of ants or something else. 😉

The giant ant eater shares its compound with a family of capybaras which graze cheerfully.

A newer part of the zoo with animals from Bali, Indonesia and Sumatra really looks like a theme park with many decorations along the footpath and a boat ride you can take.

We love the monkey compound with its huge glass panes. This little fellow seems to enjoy posing and jumping around for the kids.

The merkats live in a corner of the rhyno compound. One of them is always on the lookout for enemies.

The zoo closes at 4.30pm already. That’s why we don’t have time to visit mantis male ‘Bruce’ who was barely saved from being eaten by the zoo keepers using all the tricks up their sleeves.

We leave our stuff at the hotel and then head to the medieval old town of Chester which looks stunning with its many beautiful old buildings. Although some of the modern stores like McDonald’s don’t really seem to fit. There are a lot of shopping arcades on the first floor with more stores. We stroll around the old town and also visit the cathedral.

All the fresh air made us sleepy. We drive back to the hotel and take some food from the hotel’s restaurant to the room: Beef & Ale pie (on the right) and a cheese & onion tart (on the left). We watch yesterday’s Celebrity Hunted before it’s time for The Apprentice! 🙂