209: Bristol 2012 – Day Four

Our first holiday with Our Sidekick

Today’s activity was Our Sidekick’s choice and it had lots of photo opportunities so this might be a bit photo heavy. (Also I’m writing this on my iPhone so the format might be funky!)

Our Sidekick requested if we could go to the Zoo. Well we had a look and it was something that we could do. So we got everything sorted this morning and headed off to the Zoo.

Looking at lemurs

I think lemurs and penguins would have to be my favourites shortly followed by Meerkats (although the Insurance Meerkats bug me!!!). There were two male lemurs hanging round right near the entrance of the enclosure. We then walked in and under some ropes and three females walked across the rope and then down a ramp at the side. The first female lemur was carrying a baby lemur. It was clinging to her front while she “crawled” along on all fours.

Partying with penguins

The majority of the penguins were standing in the shade under a tree but there were a few who either just stood in the sunshine or were in the pool swimming around to stay cool. (I’d have been under the tree or in the water given the choice!)

Bristol 2012: The Zoo

This bit was where we were able to see the penguins swimming in the water I probably took a bunch more pictures that were either blurry or too late. At this point I could have done with my DSLR however for the rest of the week I haven’t really needed it so I’m glad that I didn’t drag it around with me.

Bristol 2012: The Zoo

Between these three parrots and the birds in the cage next to them I think they were all fighting to be the noisiest! These three seemed to be having an argument or something because one would start and before that one had even finished the next one would be tweeting away and then the third one would join in!

Messing about with the Meerkats. Apparently I can't take one home.

I could have probably spent hours just watching the Meerkats. This little one kept running around and then trying to crawl into the icing sugar box. I’m guessing the box was supposed to be there. Then again given how fascinated the meerkat was with the box it’s always possible that it wasn’t supposed to be there!

Bristol 2012: The Zoo - Am I on the menu?

We found these jaws from a Shark and Our Sidekick started it by lying across the teeth pretending that he was dinner, I then lay across it in an equally silly manner. Our Sidekick then swaps places with me and pretends to be dinner but instead this time he’s fighting back.

Bristol 2012: The Zoo - Just hanging around

This interesting looking creature is a Livingstone Fruit Bat. There were three or four of them either hanging from the rope like this one of from the netting that was supposed to stop them getting out of the enclosure!

Following the zoo we headed back to the hotel. On our way I found that Bristol has a Forbidden Planet – my brother keeps telling me that I have to visit the one in London. Unfortunately we couldn’t stop so I might have to create a “Next time we’re in Bristol” list… (especially given how much Our Sidekick loves Close Encounters in Bedford).

We went for a wander round the shop and Our Sidekick got some new chinos and some other bits. I bought two new t-shirts (why is it that often the guys t-shirts are a better fit/more comfortable than the girls shirts?)

Tea didn’t exactly go to plan and we ended up getting KFC and coming back to the room. The girl in KFC didn’t understand what Chris meant by gluten free. We watched Cool Runnings and the Great Britain vs Senegal Men’s Olympic Football match. Chris and I were cheering for Team GB and Our Sidekick kept cheering for Senegal. He said it was an African thing and we wouldn’t get it lol. It was a draw. Although it took Senegal like 75 minutes to actually score and that was mainly based on the fact that we should have had a penalty and it wasn’t awarded! So rude!

Tomorrow we’re heading for Wookey Hole (which I keep trying to spell as Wookie – I’m going to be really disappointed when I don’t see Chewbacca tomorrow!). For as long as I’ve been going to Soul Survivor with Chris, we’ve been saying that we need to go to Wookie Hole. It’s only taken us five years of marriage and like two years of going out and I think we’re finally there. Bring it on!

Tomorrow is also the Opening Ceremony and I’m pretty excited. I think I’m more excited now that it’s actually here. I wrote a pen pal letter to Sorcha in Australia and said that I was excited when the IOC announced the host cities back in 2005 but at the same time the events of the following day (7/7) made me question things like if the Olympics hadn’t been awarded to us, would we still have had the attacks?