Wild life behind bars and a walk in the Sofia Zoo.

A couple of days ago i and Paul went to the Sofia Zoo. The reason was that I wanted to kinda escape from the city and be more in the “nature”. Apparently this didn’t happen.

I am against zoo parks in general and I think that animals should live in their real habitat, not behind some concrete bars and cages. Especially when it comes to wild animals. So instead of having zoo in every big city, there should be more national parks, where you can pass through with your car and see the animals that run, eat and live and aren’t  just sitting and waiting for the next meal...

Sofia Zoo is not small in territory, but it has small cages for the poor animals, build God only knows how many centuries ago (btw Sofia Zoo has opened in 1888). They don’t have enough space, nor they have enough greens inside them.  I was really disappointed, because nothing has changed to it since I was a kid….

The entry pass costs now 2 leva (1 EUR/ 1,33 USD) and I understand why it is so low (the average salary is low here), but this would never ever help the Zoo to become more comfortable for the animals.  Some wild cats and bears are adopted by big companies like National Geographis for Kids etc. and hopefully this makes their situation a little bit better.

Comparing Sofia Zoo to the Kiev Zoo, well the second one wins. Yes, it is located in the city’s heart and between some flats and nevertheless it is smaller in its territory, the cages are bigger, greener and more appealing to the animals. They try harder to make their living as close to the nature as possible – with more branches, trees and water.

So here some photos and a video of that day.

Trying to bring some fun :)

meet Paul, the ninja (or Kung-Fu Panda may be?)

This is Dasha. She's our favorite bear in the Kiev Zoo.

Cool signs @ Kiev Zoo

Share with us, do you have a Zoo in your home town? What do you think about the Zoos, should they exist?

Xoxo,

Lara

Kiev – The Co-host of 2012 European Soccer Championship or Where is my heart ?

Kiev – The Co-host of 2012 European Soccer Championship or Where is my heart ?

Ukraine has been dominated for seven decades of Soviet Union. Nevertheless  Kiev is now fast growing city in its cultural and tourist life, as also there are lots of improvements in the city, made on a daily basis.

I’m very subjective, when talking about Kiev. It is my second (or in my heart may be even first ) home.

As a half Ukrainian, I traveled really often back in the days and I’ve spent the summer time in Kiev. My best memories are for joyful, carefree vacations with lots of games and my grandparents made this all possible, God bless them!

Now Kiev is a Co-host of the European Soccer Championship and regarding the info from my friends, the situation in the city is under control and there is no traffic or other problems in the downtown.

Kiev is literally the most amazing city I’ve ever been and I think I have a clue where this comes from (my childhood). For its size Kiev is a pretty clean city, full of history and landmark (the churches are awesome), art life, creative people, amazing parks and very delicious cuisine!

Of course as every ex-soviet country, it has its problems. But I hope they are progressing in the right direction.

Here are some photos we made in 2011:

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, this is the proof of how beautiful Kiev is.

St. Andrew's Church

                                                                  

Me & Paul

                                                              

This is the HYATT Hotel in Kiev. As you can see this city has some really modern buildings.

        

One of the most delicious ice-creams. If you are about to visit Kiev, don't miss this out! This is a soft ice cream, half chocolate, half lemon with chocolate & nuts crust! yuumm . You can find it on Khreschatik str. near the metro station.

The municipality of Kiev runs every year this beautiful Flowers sculptures exhibition, which if you're lucky you can see in the Pechersk Park.

Finally, this is how happy we feel in Kiev. This shot of Paul i made spontaneously :)

Don't miss out this restaurant, when in Ukraine Puzata Hata  for tasty traditional cuisine!

Let me know which is your favorite city or country and why? 

xoxo,

Lara