Rotterdam

The Marwell Zoo ticket gives us free entry to Rotterdam Zoo. So we got up at 2:30 on Saturday morning to make the trip... We played "This could be Rotterdam or Liverpool..." on the CD player, repeatedly.

On the way, a competition entry photo by Andrew. Taken in the tunnel train. Heavily "split toned".

The polar bear entertained us for ages, trying to scratch an itch.

We could get up close and personal with the Prarie Dogs

The baby black rhino was full of beans, racing round in armour plating.

We didn't note the names but the hoofed beast and the monkeys share a concrete mountain.

Lovers tiff...

And Kathleen took a shot for the same competition before going home

On the way back, customs were suspicuious. We were in the van and they knew that we had crossed at the crack of dawn and stayed only one night.

Where have you been? Rotterdam

For how long? Just one night

Why? To take pictures of the animals in the Zoo

The customs official paused. She was clearly thinking "You have been up at the crack of dawn, you have driven hundreds of miles in foul weather to do to a city in a country with relaxed narcotics legislation, you tell me some story about going to the zoo and clearly expect me to believe that recreational drugs are not involved?".

I smiled. She let us through.