Sunnier Spain

by Steve W

After weeks in the cold climates of Northern Europe, we headed south for what we hoped was warmer weather. Our first stop was Estapona, on the Costa del Sol. We flew into Malaga, picked up a rental car and checked into our condo. Rosemary was not feeling well on our first full day so, since we had a full kitchen, I went grocery shopping and we rested all day.

The next day, we drove to the colorful seaside town of Marbella and walked along the shoreline of the Med.

One of the features of the town is a series of sculptures by Salvador Dali, the surrealist artist.

The view of the sculpture garden

Elefante Cosmico

Hombre Sobre Delfin

As in many of the European cites we visited, churches play an important role in the local culture. Because we were there in mid-December, some of the churches had nativity displays. Colorful tiles, fountains and artwork brightened up the buildings and the plazas.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Gibraltar, a British Territory on the tip of Spain. It felt odd to walk across a parking lot to another country. We rode the tram to the top for some amazing views.

The Rock

Town of Gibraltar

Note the plane landing on the airport.

Best view of the day!

On the walk down, we encountered many of the famous Gibraltar Barbary macaques. While they are wild animals, they are so used to tourists that they hardly noticed us.

One woman, who was wearing a coat with a fur collar, was groomed by a macaque - probably a case of mistaken identity.

Let me get those fleas for you.

Estepona is surrounded by what are referred to as the Hill Towns. The first one we visited was Mijas. There are no automobile taxis in the town itself, but there are carts pulled by burros to get you around town if necessary.

Although it was very windy on that day, as a hill town, there was a great view of the Med and the towns below.

There is a cave which has been turned into a shrine for La Virgen de la Pena, the patron saint of Mijas.

We also went to Ronda, another hill town. where we toured the bull ring.

Outside the bullring.

A view from inside the ring.

A protective barrier inside the ring for police, photographers and bullfighters.

Ronda is built atop a huge gorge, with bridges spanning the canyon. Looking at the bridges, you have to marvel at the ability to build them so long ago without the heavy machinery in use today.

All in all, a pleasant week 40 degrees warmer than our previous city. We were here in mid December, 2018.

It's All Happening At The Zoo

by Steve W

As big fans of the the Animal Planet program "The Zoo", which gives a behind the scenes look at the Bronx Zoo, we knew we had to visit. Jim Breheny, director of the Zoo, has said that if you asked a child to draw a picture of a zoo, it would be animals behind bars. He and his staff have worked to change that image.

Just outside the Zoo were some public restrooms, which had some interesting information.

Who knew?

Just inside the gates, you get a great view of a section of the Bronx River, which flows for 24 miles through southeastern New York.

A river runs through it.

One of the first animals we saw was the bison, which was recently named the national mammal (no, I didn't know we had a national mammal, either).

Next came the World of Birds, with many exotic species of birds from around the world.

Guira Cookoos

Western Caspercaillie

We saw some Pere David's Deer, who were almost extinct but have made a remarkable comeback.  They have an interesting habit of using their antlers to throw mud on themselves for cooling.

Next, on to Tiger Mountain, where we saw a tiger romp in a pond and come right up to the glass window, putting his huge paw on the glass as children on the other side put their hands up to try to touch it. This went on until the tiger left the pond and walked around the enclosure.

Who said cats don't like water?

Often times, the male and female of a species will have different coloration. A good example is the Ebony Langur, from Java. Despite the name, these are not black, but reddish brown.

Meet the Gharial, a crocodile-like creature from Nepal.

The big cats like lions are always a popular attraction. As it was a hot day, they were kind of lazy.

Let sleeping cats lie.

The Nubian Ibex has an impressive set of horns.

Who said size is not important?

We felt safe in the zoo, protected from the animals, until we saw these creatures running wild throughout the park.

"Born Free"

We also saw Grizzly Bears playing in their pond and romping with each other. These guys are huge!

Note the differences between the Cuban Crocodile (top) and the American Alligator. Despite these differences, these two species will sometime mate with each other.

On our trip to Tanzania over 15 years ago, we saw some Colubus Monkeys. Saw them here also. Just a coincidence, or are they stalking us?

One of the more unusual animals we saw was the Okapi, which is a species of giraffe, despite the hind quarters looking like a zebra. But note the shape of the head and you can see the resemblance to a giraffe.

What committee created this animal?

There are several species of guinons in the world, but this one is the Wolf's Monkey, named after the naturalist who discovered them.

From small to large, we moved on the the gorilla enclosure. From large male silverbacks...

...to younger animals, they are always fun to see.

Hitchin' a ride.

A little "me" time

Jim Breheny has said that they thought that they were building an exhibit where people could see the gorillas, but soon realized that it was for the gorillas to see the people.

Up close and personal

We spent a whole day at the zoo, leaving just before it started to rain. Another "don't miss" if you get to NYC.