A NEAT ZOO VISIT

                                   Several New Animals

       On our last day in Edinburgh we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Edinburgh zoo. Our days had been busy, and this day was no exception. We’d seen the gorgeous floral clock on our walk through the park, and although it was late in the day it was time for my LA zoo docent travel buddy to get us to the zoo.

It was too far to walk so we rode the local bus, as we had in the morning to the Britannia. At the zoo entrance my buddy got talking to the fellow and mentioned she was a LA zoo docent. What a pleasant surprise it was when, without hesitation, he sold us tickets at half price! We found everyone everywhere we went pleasant, friendly and helpful.

       We couldn’t have timed our visit better as we arrived about three minutes before the daily penguin parade. It was a hoot to watch the little penguins march around a predetermined course. The zoo has been in existence since 1913. New animals for us to see were the painted hunting dog, southern cassowary, red-necked wallaby, and a pigmy hippo that looked like a fat pig.

       Although we had a basic map, we were having trouble finding the painted hunting dog exhibit. When we spotted a fellow with a flashlight and a bunch of papers in his hand, we took him for a zoo employee and approached asking for directions. Bless his heart, he stopped what he was doing and sprinted up and down several paths, with us in tow double timing it behind him. Eventually he found the dogs. Talking to him at the pen fence we learned he was the zoo’s insurance man making his annual inspection!

      “We’re so sorry for interrupting your  work. When we saw your clipboard we mistakenly took you for a zoo employee. Thanks so much for taking the time to help us out,” I offered.

      Selma added, “I’ve never seen a painted hunting dog before.”

      “Nor have I, young lady. I learned something new today too. You ladies have a good time, and I’ll get back to work.”

       At that time I had never heard of a painted hunting dog, but leave it to my buddy to always find something new and exciting. The dogs are endangered and have multi colored coats reminiscent of camouflage. They were lean and had large ears that stood up much like an antenna. I may never see another one, but it was exciting to see the five that were in the pen.

      After reading the plaque and checking the map we moved on and had a delightful afternoon. Once back at the hotel it was a scramble to cleanup and dress for dinner.

More Dublin Sites

     National Gallery, established in 1854, but was not built until ten years later. The gallery houses 3000 pieces of the national collection of Irish and European paintings. The old Victorian building just keeps going from one gallery to another. In fact we did get a bit lost and had to ask a guard to show us the way out! There was a sold our concert that evening in the gallery, but we heard a good part of it as we wandered around looking at paintings. We also stopped for a snack in the gallery café.

Next door is the Natural History Museum, referred to by locals as ‘the place of dead animals’. Housed in another Victorian building, all the specimens are displayed in lovely old Victorian cabinets and showcases. The museum has a huge collection covering  four floors. A graceful staircase leading from both sides of the building meets at a middle landing on the second floor.

      Dublin Castle represents 700 years of British rule and now is the symbol of Irish statehood and is the heart of historic Dublin. More a palace than a castle, it stands on a strategic site at the juncture of the River Liffey and its tributary the Poddle, where the original fortification may have been an early Gaelic Fort. Later a Viking fortress stood on the site. The Drawing Room in the Bermingham Tower dates back to 1411 and was rebuilt in 1777. The Record Tower is the earliest of several towers and is the largest remaining relic of the original Norman structure. The clock tower now houses a library. The south range houses the magnificent State Apartments, which were built as residential quarters of the vice regal court. Now they are the venue for presidential inaugurations, state functions and entertaining  heads of state.

    O’Connell Street, previously known as Sackville Street, is the most famous thoroughfare in Dublin. The 150-foot wide street changed its name in 1924. After the devastating 1916 Easter Uprising. The street had to be almost entirely rebuilt which took until the end of the 1920s. At the end of the street there is a large monument dedicated to Daniel O'Connell erected in 1854. Seated winged figures represent courage, eloquence, fidelity and patriotism. The four ancient provinces are represented by their coat of arms. O’Connell is wearing a glove on one hand, as he often did in real life as a self imposed penance for shooting a man in a duel. This is a busy street with lots of traffic and pedestrians. The focal point was the Nelson pillar that was destroyed in 1966.

     One morning we started out for our most distant point which was City Hall where there is an interesting multimedia display of city history. In 1867 there was a proposal to move a marble statue of O’Connell inside the building as it was not considered to be weather proof. It still stands in the refurbished rotunda. In the center of the marble rotunda floor is a 1898 mosaic of the coat of arms. The ceiling is beautiful. In 1915-19 frescos were added to the ceiling. Repairs due to dry rot were made to the building in 1926 and a wonderful restoration was done in 1998. Outside, the front façade still shows some bullet davits from the civil war.

      One afternoon we rode the bus to the far side of the city to Phoenix Park to visit the zoo. Covering 1760 acres, the park is the largest enclosed public park in Europe. Livestock graze the pasturelands and deer roam the wooded area. The Presidential Residence is on the park grounds. Ashtown Castle sits next to the visitor center. Dry rot demolished the castle and now it is a fully restored modern house. Easily viewed from the main street is the large white cross commemorating the pope’s visit in 1979. A large obelisk marks Napoleon’s defeat by Wellington.

     The Dublin Zoo, three kilometers from the city center, was established. in 1830. It is the world’s 4^th oldest public zoo. Set in 60 acres of attractive and colorful gardens within Phoenix Park, the zoo has a large collection of exotic animals. The lion used in the MGM logo before each picture was born at the Dublin zoo. We wandered all over the zoo. It was not the best zoo we’ve ever visited, but it was a good one. The Amur tigers from Russia and China were huge beautiful animals.