dortmund zoo

I really enjoyed my trip to the Dortmund zoo this morning. The subway map was very clear to me, yet I still couldn't figure out which platform to get onto. :P Despite the day being hot and humid, the area around the zoo was wonderfully cool. The first thing I noticed was that very few animals are caged. I could see the lions and tigers within 10-20m with a small moat dividing us. It felt really nice, and the zoo was extremely clean. The only babies I got to see were these two owls peeping over their parents. I didn't notice them at first but I'm glad I did. They kept their eye on me ;) Oh, and I saw the Steinadler (the German eagle? often used on their flags and Dortmund) and they were big...

The afternoon was spent at the Dortmund Art and culture museum. I really enjoyed one particular room with porcelain plates from Holland and Germany with asian influences, as well as huge paintings on porcelain tiles. Some historical photographs and the models of the city were very cool to see, as well as a large section of cartography tools. I don't think I've seen as many incredibly detailed and priceless goblets, chalices and other church artifacts in one place.