Skansen is indeed delightful. I was only able to spare three to four hours to visit, so I didn't see everything but certainly got a flavour. I think all open air museums are rooted there; those you mention FG and close to my heart Beamish in County Durham close to where I grew up. The Pangolin at San Diego was special in the way it was shown. There was a keeper talk every day with the Pangolin, out in the keepers arms or on a wooden stand. It was a privilege not only to see one but to see one up close, without barriers and very active. I certainly felt part of a special club of people 'in the know' who gathered in a far away corner of the children's zoo for the presentation.
I spent three years in Durham without visiting Beamish, one of the smaller regrets in my life but it still stings I'm jealous of you for visiting San Diego, what else did you get up to over there? Or have you written about it elsewhere on the site?
Having grown up not far from Beamish, I *have* visited on a number of occasions another good open-air museum in this neck of the woods is Eden Camp in North Yorkshire - a former POW camp which is now an open-air museum devoted to the Second World War - which is only 6 miles from Flamingo Land and therefore can be done as part of a single daytrip.
ah Beamish.. happy days. I must get back there, its been a while. Yes San Diego was indeed special. I visited LA on business, so didn't have a great deal of time. I did LA Zoo too, but had to miss out on the San Diego Zoo Safari park, and everything else, this time. Hopefully there's a next time, because it was a tough call which one to go for. I didn't write up a report or anything - its been done many times - but posted some photos in the gallery and shared a few impressions I seem to recall. And as we're well off topic with the open air museums, I'll also admit I found time to go to an airshow while in California. Some things can even trump zoos!
1. My highlights are almost always dreamed species in a zoo visit (better if unexpected ones). Difficult to choose, probably seeing the Pilot Whale at SeaWorld San Diego, altough it was not unexpected. 2. I don't follow zoo news, and I when I read them I forget easily to which date they belong. 3. Miss the California condors at San Diego Zoo because they was remodelating their aviary. Also miss blue whales (or any kind of whale) in the whale watching trip (especially blue whales because I was theorically in the best place of the world and best moment of the year for them).
You don't need to follow zoo news to have seen something that has touched you, surely? Besides, this is the 2016 thread, a mistake I nearly made
Not sure what are you referring with "touching me"... Not having a home zoo (since my city only have an aquarium, that I visit only every various years) is difficult to be "touched" by direct sight... And the scarce things that I remember (mostly additions of interesting species to some zoos) I can't remember if they belong to 2016 or not, as I stated in the above post. I'm curious, why you call it mistake?
Fair enough. I made the mistake of misreading the year in the thread title, where as you didn't. Looking forward to your 2017 review, at the end of 2018
I done it already today because the "your 2017" thread was into the "New post" (as this 2016 thread was too before). So you don need to wait so long...
