things to do on sundays

1) i went to the zoo at -14 °C, fully aware that i will see only about 5 per cent of the inhabitants. i didn't do it because i'm stupid, but because i can and because i own an annual ticket.

look at that marvelously empty bear enclosure! behold the majestic icicles!

2) next i wandered straight to the penguin enclosure and watched the little critters zoom around their pool.

3) then i watched a couple of herons who sat perched all around the seal enclosure because half an hour before there had been feeding time. (btw. the seals were nowhere to be seen...)

4) next on my list of animals to see in an empty zoo were the siberian tigers. to be honest, they were the only reason i went to the zoo this morning.

ickle tiger babies playing in the snow. mum, can i have one for christmas?

5) on my way out, i stopped by the red panda enclosure because i knew the tree which he is usually hiding in would be completely empty of leaves. lo! and behold, i managed to see the little devil for the second time within six years!

6) then i was a bit of an idiot and carried my camera lens turned toward the palm of my hand -- which fogged up the whole lens. to make the most of it until it was dry again, i took a slightly blurred picture of some random grass. i can still pretend it's all artsy instead of really, really kitschy.

7) what next? well, i had to go home and take a really hot shower, because in my infinite wisdom i had gone to the zoo just in jeans and no second layer underneath. so despite the really thick winter jacket, i was shivering in my boots. three guesses whose legs looked like lobsters... (i didn't leave home until i had stuffed myself into a pair of sweat-pants underneath my jeans.)

8 ) i wolved down a sandwitch and was already on my way to the christmas market to meet with karen and watch ditte play saxophone on stage. i took a couple of pictures all around me. like of brass players on the balcony of the old town hall or christmas baubles. sadly no picture of ditte, red-nosed, shivering and frozen to her instrument because the stage was just too dark to take a decent picture.

let's pretend these baubles with the reflection of the old city hall is really artsy instead of really, really kitschy.

9) next, ditte treated us to a round of mulled wine. it really helped to de-frost our fingers again. thank you, ditte! it saved our lives and fingers!!!

10) stop by a couple of shops and find the german translation of the latest chaplin-biography which had just come out last week.

11) after that, karen and i bought our annual christmas market vanilla waffer and went home. she to denmark, me to my flat. the rest of the evening, i will be enjoying my last fill of mulled wine, some noodle soup and the final episode of the BBC pride&prejudice.

life is good.

ps. 12) made the author happy with pictures of his book.