Welcome back Kiwis!

After a big break i am finally active on our website again, there are many news and in these months i  have collect enough material for write posts weekly until the next year. But before talk you of all the adventures happened in this break time i will make you a special news post, with a short resume of what’s happen and what is change in that time period.

But i don’t want go out of topic now, so let’s finally talk about what you want to read for… Rotterdam!

Since more than one year i annoy and annoyed my boyfriend because i wished to see Tulip fields in the near Netherlands. This is something i wished to do my whole life long, one of the things that once you see it stays print in your eyes and in your heart forever.
But how all the people imagine this wonderful land?
I can guess that mostly part of you imagine Netherlands like a country where colors dominate the earth, where once you enter you see tulip fields, windmills and water torrents everywhere, an intensive parfum of flowers and  the fresh breeze that flow free through your hairs.
Well… the only thing right on all what i expected to see is the  water torrents and the constant wind.

But what’s about the tulip fields that all people want to see?
Before start this funny short trip to Rotterdam i did an  internet research for know where we could see that. We had finally chosen to go between Rotterdam and Den Haag, sure at 100% to find it. I couldn’t be more deceive, we drove in many small streets through one point to the other, still not satisfy we drove up until reach Amsterdam and not even just one tulip field i had the chance to  saw!

So what happens when your plans break and you have free time to spend and a boyfriend who loves animals?
No, you even don’t need to suppose it, the answer is more than obviously, we was to Rotterdam Zoo!

Rotterdam Zoo adventure

The only luck of this travel was that strangely in that few hours it was no rain so we had the chance to make a relaxing walk through it and take time for admire the wonderful creatures that this huge zoo hosts. I would really like to resume all in a list of positive and negative things that this Rotterdam animal paradise have but i find it difficult as there are so much things to tell.
If i should describe it in one sentence i would call it: “Great natural animal habits zoo with an unpronounceable name”.

Please try it – Diergaarde Blijdorp Rotterdam Zoo – not that easy eh?

But let’s this Zoo describe itself with some of the best shots.

Do you have always thought like me that the Roadrunner is a big blue bird of the dimension of a Ostrich? Well, i must destroy your BeepBeep hero with this picture. Get this shot so on focus, so near and so great it have been like win at the lottery 1 million dollars. Roadrunners are really fast and rarely you can see them quiet in a open space. I guess you can understand yet my happiness when i had got this big lucky moment!

Is just stunning how the Polar Bears area was really great done, very big for that they can move in freedom and the water always cold and clean. Many zoos that hosts Polar Bear neglect the fact that they aren’t in their natural habits and that with the heatness and dirty water they become mostly depressed and you can see them just sleep in a shadow. At the Rotterdam zoo not only the area is perfect, but also the psycological care of these endangered animals. The zoo keeper had the great idea to add some plastic  ice cubes, it was just great see them all the time play, run and jump happy in water.
This zoo have all the merits for become the best one of Netherlands!

Have you never see a more cute animal than this? This Elephant Shrew is a small  african animal, very rare to find in zoos and take its name from the long nose like an Elephant. Is crazy how this little “mouse” run fast and hide itself in holes, reason why get a well focus picture of it is really difficult.
I had luck with the Roadrunner, i couldn’t have luck also with it!

How can’t you find this zoo simply stunning when also the most difficult areas to build become a paradise on earth? I don’t wanted anymore come out of that hall  so wonderful it was and so many animals fled around you. I am just in love of it!

In this hall you had the chance to see many different kind of birds and butterflies, for example this huge Owl Butterfly. Impossible to don’t see it and don’t love it!

This is one of the most amazing tropical flowers i have ever seen. I have no idea of the name – if you know it write it in the comments below – but i stayed ten minutes to look it. I get even more the conviction that the owner of this zoo must have a big love and knowledge on animals but also in plants for create such a dreamy uncommon place.

One of the birds i adore is the Turako, for the first time ever in the Rotterdam Zoo i had got the chance to photograph one from so near and see its color shades and behaves. This was one of the most emotional things i felted in it!

Isn’t this picture funny? I would fit perfectly as Galapagos Tortoise swimming in the crystal  blue water, wouldn’t you?

This photo seems not true just because blurred partly, but is unbelievable how this Tukan was curious and comed near to the camera. One of the negative things of this zoo area is that all the rooms was not so near reachable from the lenses, as less not for people so small as i am. Mostly part of the photos in that place my boyfriend did it!

Let’s move now to Asia, one of the most loved areas from all the people. This relaxing animal is the Muntjac, the smallest deer existing on earth. We had luck to see him between the trees and as we was hide, we had the chance to do a good near photo that can express all the sweetness of this tiny creature.

I resume all the Asia area in one shot, that express the beauty of this reflecting world.

For the first time in my life i had the chance to photograph and smell one of the varieties of Plumeria flower. I can really understand when people say that it is unforgettable. I never expected to find that in a zoo, therefore not in a nordic zoo as the Rotterdam one.

Here a super colorful shot of the Victoria Crowned Pigeon, the biggest pigeon specie in the world. Is just stunning how much asian animals you can find in zoos, is after Africa one of the widest and most loved areas from all visitors.

I just love that; the Common Basilisk is one of the most interesting and particular animals i have ever known, called also “Jesus Lizard” for the special capability to run on the water. Something i have learn is that males distinguish itself from the female with a horn on the head; that make it looks pretty similar to a dinosaur.

And like every respectable post, i must make one of my fails… Well, madame and sirs, i don’t remember me at all the name of this wonderful green “lizard kind”, the best shot i have done of all this zoo trip was also the one i had to forget!

But that’s not all, i don’t wanna end the post with a mistake and giving you just shots of animals and plants. On the way back home while driving the car and in rainy weather, suddenly i saw something that finally made me say “YESSSSSSS!!! It was totally worthy!”. At my right side i see from far away appear four old windmills in full activity. My eyes was sparkling like diamonds and i profited of this  short moment for shoot a photo and go home with  a 80 teeth smile!!! Isn’t that great???

So keep in mind, if you have the wish to travel through the Netherlands in May time and see tulips fields without spend 16€ for go to the Keukenhof (biggest tulip garden ever made just for tourists) so outside of the general touristic attractions, i suggest you to learn from my mistakes, make a more intensive research on where you can exactly find that and put in your backpack a lot of time, patience and luck (and fuel i would say!).

I hope you enjoyed the post and if you have any advise about where i could next year find that, write it down in the comments.
I will be glad to read your experiences!

Thanks for Watching,

Creative Kiwi in Travel

The post Unplanned trip to Rotterdam – tulip adventure – appeared first on Creative Kiwi in Travel.