London Bridge

London Zoo

I first went to London zoo one summer at the age of thirteen with my family. Although it wasn't too far from where we lived, the sister zoo Whipsnade was much closer and much more convenient. I didn't really remember all that much from that trip nearly seven years ago, so when the opportunity arose to go again last summer thanks to a discount for students offered by the handy little Student Beans website, I took it without hesitation.

My boyfriend and I had chosen to visit the zoo on a scorching hot Monday afternoon in May, when the school children would still be at school and the zoo would be a little emptier than it would normally be at the weekends. My boyfriend was still recovering from the flu and both of us were still sort of recovering from attempting to stay up half the night for the Roehampton University Summer Ball. Such attempts were unsuccessful and that year I did not make the 5am survivors photo.

We set out in the lovely, warm sunshine to make our way over to London Zoo situated at the northern end of Regent's Park. For us it was quite a trek from our little corner in South West London. Wishing to save money on our Oyster Cards, we took the 430 bus from Roehampton to Putney where to caught the 74 to Baker Street which was one of the recommended stops for London Zoo. In Putney we decided that it would perhaps be a good idea to pick up some sun cream. The Co-Op in Roehampton was all out when I looked a couple of days before. It was only when we reached Baker Street Station and started walking through Regent's Park to get to the Zoo, I realised I had picked up after sun cream instead!

After a lengthy walk in the sweltering heat we finally reached the zoo. We had gotten a little lost but we were lead in the right direction by the sound of the zoo animals, mainly the monkeys. We had beaten the morning rush and there wasn't really anyone about and the man who checked our tickets didn't seem bothered at all and didn't even bother verifying whether or not we were students. It didn't bother me though, it just meant we could see some animals quicker.

London Zoo spans a rather large territory and there's plenty to see and do. The indoor reptile houses, bug homes and aquarium provided a nice break from the scorching heat of the sun which was a bit of a bother at times as it was so hot; though saying that it was more than a pleasant day to be outside so we didn't complain too much. There's a good range of animals, some of which were quite exotic like the komodo dragons. I was a little disappointed that there were no elephants or rhinoceroses here and other big animals that I had expected to find as they were all being kept at the sister zoo, Whipsnade located in Bedfordshire. It is a little more difficult to get there with the luxury of a car. It would also be another fifteen pounds or so to visit the zoo. Due to the immense heat many animals weren't very active and some like the lions and tigers could barely be seen at all as they slept in the shadows, Again this was a little disappointing as it wasn’t like we could simply return another day for free like you can here in Lyon. However I was quite content to walk around in the sun with an ice-cream or two spending an awful lot of time watching monkeys pick the paint of the walls in their enclosures and eat it. Despite not being able to see a couple of the animals; there were many things that pleased me about London Zoo. There was a lot things people could learn thanks to the detailed descriptions of the animals all of which had names!

What I liked more about London Zoo was the fact that there were several opportunities to get up close with several animals and insects. There was a butterfly shelter inside which was hundreds and thousands of butterflies milling about. There was a hot and stuffy rain forest area, but my favourite was the Meet the Monkeys section, where you could see a few tiny little squirrel monkeys running about. There were numerous signs round the area warning people not to get too close to the trees and the bushes as the monkeys could bite and would bite. Despite further warnings from the zoo volunteer who kept an eye on the area there were two women who insisted on pushing their pushchairs closer and closer to the bushes and a couple of monkeys were tempted.

London Zoo provides bucket loads of information about all the birds, reptiles and animals that can be found there, so should you be really interesting in animals there’s a lot to learn. Everything is very well presented and it seems as though the animals are looked after very well. There were also talks given at certain times during the day around the Zoo about certain animals, birds and bugs. I still recall hearing bout of the largest spider species on the planet, the Mexican Bird Eating Spider when I was thirteen. I even got to go and see the rather fascinating creature up close, though I didn’t want to get too close. I’m not the biggest fan of spiders.

It takes a good while to really see everything the Zoo has to offer and really does take up a whole day. As the weather was so good, London Zoo was the perfect day out as it was pleasant to wander around for hours and hours taking in everything that we could find. With the large range of animals and plenty of space and things to see you certainly do get your money’s worth here. I would strongly recommend that you do go during the summer months as I did have a friend who recently went during the winter and barely any of the animals were about. Unfortunately with London Zoo it’s not like you can simply just go again another day as it rather pricey. I’m certainly going to miss the fact that Lyon Zoo is free as it’s always nice to pop into the zoo for five minutes or so if you’re in the area. Nevertheless, thanks its size and the variety of species that London zoo has to offer, it is certainly worth a visit.

London, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Whomever has the opportunity to go there will find themselves forever in love; a walk in the city is pleasant at any time of day, the people are friendly and obliging, and the city is a beauty in itself.

It must be pointed out that many people confuse "Tower Bridge" with "London Bridge". Tower Bridge is the famous English bridge that features on postcards or that appears in many television programmes, films, etc. London Bridge, meanwhile, is the one you can see in the photos and the one from which you can view its brother bridge, the famous Tower Bridge. From London Bridge there is a spectacular view, one can observe the modernity of the city and British architecture. It is surrounded by many bars and has a 'party' atmosphere - it always seems like a Friday, no matter what day of the week you visit! I recommend the view from here at dusk, as you can see in the photos, it is an enchanting place where the contrast of the architecture and colours of the twilight will seem like a dream for all those who wish to take photographs, or simply to enjoy the moment.