Munich part V - Spring in the Zoo

Another March weekend on which I'd rather just stay in bed and recover from the week's tasks. However, with the favourable weather forecast and still a long to-do list to go through, it was time to use the day for anther Munich adventure.
And where could one probably spend a day outdoors, discovering a new city, if not at the Zoo? 
Turns out Munich's Zoo Hellabrunn is located next to the Isar, and if one doesn't want to spend an eternity at the ticket desk, it would be wise to arrive as early as possible in the morning. I for my part had a little stroll past the river first, where Mr. Beaver must have been hard at work for quite a while...

After a long queque of families with kids, finally inside the Zoo. Now, off to the giraffes!

As lovely as always - meerkats on guard

Porcupines in weekend mode

Signs of spring

Monkeys & apes

Beautiful underwater world

More monkeys :)

Elephant house

His majesty, the king

Jungle time with free flying birds and flying foxes

Hi there!

Animal? Plant?

Ice paradise

Waiting for the sea lion show. Not in the mood for waiting and crowds, I thought I'd rather have a look at another enclosure...

... Only to bump into huge crowds of young and old, all waiting for a chance to see little Quintana, the Zoo's new ice bear baby. And as wonderful as playing around is for the little cutie, the best thing by far is still cuddling up with mom.

Spring is in the air - beautiful purple fields alongside the creek...

... As well as blooms all over the place

And although the information board apologized for his absence due to hibernation, Mr. Bear's was already awake and patrolling in his backyard...

... While this guy gave his best showing off his balance skills with a scratching performance

Mousetown :)

Long story short told, the Munich Zoo sure is worth a visit that will probably take the whole day, or at least a big part of it. Like everything in the city, the area is easily accessible by public transport, and offers a trip around the world in terms of animals, and is interestingly the first Zoo in the world to organize its inhabitants by geographical aspects instead of species. 
To discover the different areas might take a while, however, there are not only countless things to see, but also plenty of oportunities to sit down, eat something, go pee and/or change diapers... 
On the side note: a weekend trip to Hellabrunn is great, but I guess a visit during the week might end up with less crowds and less noise ;)

~ to be continued ~