Take a trip back to your own memory lane and remember all those times your parents took you to the zoo.

Do you remember how happy and peaceful those days were? Back when we couldn’t grasp what we were seeing and we were all, as kids, amazed by all the different types of animals. Our little brains filled suddenly with images and information about animals we didn’t even know existed by places that are so far away from our homes. We can only wish our lives gives us the opportunity to visit all those places that house those unbelievable creatures.

As a child, I visited the zoo once in a school trip and another with my uncle and his family. Both those times I remember the excitement in waves like a shot of an adrenaline rush coursing through my veins. It was unbelievable. My eyes were widely open looking at every single animal my eyes could fall on.

I went back to it as a young adult and the reaction was pretty much the same. From the minute we parked the car to the minute my ticket was scanned my feet couldn’t hold my excitement. The zoo brings me back memories from a calmer better life and now that things are a little bit more complicated because of adulthood it was a beautiful time to be reminded of it.

Masks were mandatory because of Covid, but masks are mandatory pretty much everywhere at this point so we didn’t really have trouble with it. The zoo was not crowded at all which is a very good thing, because normally it’s filled with schools and kids running all around you. This time I really enjoyed me being the big kid. Quite funny as an image, but at least I enjoyed it.

The Attica Zoological Park is just 20 kilometres east of Athens and it’s specially made to house animals of all countries and parts of the world. It’s divided in sections and at the entrance they give you a map to make your stay there easier and help you navigate your way around the park. It’s an enormous park and the map is necessary. They also give you like a brochure with activities and such, but most of them don’t really happen anymore because of Covid. Still, you can have a fabulous day there and even arrange a pick nick for you and your family.

Nobody wants to see animals in cages, but for some of them it’s a necessity. I mean, I was not really into taking a stroll with the lions. Also, the birds there are almost extinct so they can’t have them flying around. It might break your hearts to see them trapped a bit, but I like to think that they are also taking very good care of them and they are better there than hunted.

I seriously advice you to visit the zoo, it’s an experience that you simply need to have in your life. There are so many different kinds of animals, some wild some tamed. The conditions are very accommodating for them, their ‘homes’ are made with enough space for them to feel comfortable and with plants that remind them of their climate.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many animals we saw. The map they gave us was divided in sectors, for others like bats their home was open to the crowd and made to look like a big room where even ducks were running or should I say patting around.

The elephants were also a very beautiful sight. They are so majestic, walking slowly, but they really make you think you are in their environment that they are not close to the city at all. They come from Asia and they are amazing to look at.

Antilopes were also beautiful, but due to the sun they were all sitting against a wall where it was shady.

The bear that had attracted enough attention when we went around her area didn’t really feel like being with people, that’s why I only took a long shot of her. I think it was female.

Monkeys were so much friendlier than any other animal. They were really looking up at people, almost sizing them up. Some even went near the edges of the cage to take a better look at some babies. Of course the parents were there and alerted.

My favorite area of all, however, was the one with the zebras and the giraffes. I love giraffes. Small fun fact, because of my height my family and friends sometimes called me a giraffe. That’s why I always loved that majestic, tall, laid back animal that if you pay close attention to it almost looks like either it’s smiling or it’s really indifferent with the world in general. Spirit animal, I tell you.

Funniest moment of all was the moment where we were passing by a llama and it was his time to go to the toilet, so the picture was not the best because let me tell you this.. I hadn’t realize that it was having a private moment at the time.

The tiger was one of the animals that had a huge made up home and it was closed with glass all around. The moment it jumped over a tree and came close to the glass I realize why. It was huge and walking around like the predator that really is. If you are a fun of tigers then you will really enjoy that spot.

Some wild cheetahs were missing, but they informed us it was because they were not adjusting very well. Also, they normally have a show with dolphins, but due to Covid they had to stop it because they couldn’t have so many people at one place. Understandable, but still it was a bummer.

In conclusion, the zoo is a place that children and adults can go for a day. It has a gift shop for you to buy something to remember the day and at some centered spot there is something like a small mini market for snacks and drinks. Also they have a restaurant, so you can really make a day trip out of it. The people that work there are very friendly and you can see that they are really loving the animals, which is very comforting to know that the people who are taking care of them love them.

Thanks for reading!

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