We set off for the zoo. Linda Psomas was the chauffeur and I was behind the GPS. It was supposed to take us 24 minutes. However, a few wrong turns, an illegal u turn, a disappearing GPS screen, and an unplanned stop at a storage unit extended our trip to almost an hour. I am happy to report that we finally got there safe and sound!
Linda Psomas, who adores tigers, wore her tiger shirt for good luck, but those big cats never came out of their den. We did get some great pictures of the Giant Pandas and saw lots and lots of other birds and animals. I had never seen a live kookaburra before. Of course I had to sing the kookaburra sits in the old gum tree song, but he was not impressed. Not even a chuckle from that bird!
The zoo is located in Balboa Park. This park was the site of two international expositions, one in 1915 and the other in 1935. Today it is a cultural and recreational center housing 15 museums and performing art venues. The 200 foot California Tower houses a 100 bell carillon that chimes every 15 minutes and reminded us of the Old Main bells from our Millersville days.
The pool and hot tub at our hotel provided some much need R&R after hiking all over the hilly paths at the zoo and the cobblestone pathways in Balboa Park. I felt every one of those 12,989 steps that were displayed on my Fit Bit! Although tiring, we made some awesome memories at two very unique places.