A zoo is a zoo is a zoo... NOT!

After a week of vacation, I went into work on Tuesday and Wednesday and became so exhausted I decided to take Thursday and Friday off. On Thursday we decided we'd go to the zoo in Karlsruhe, a city about 35 minutes from the Prickril compound in Kirchheim. As usual, we piddled around entirely too long and didn't get out the door until around lunchtime.

No sooner had we gotten onto the autobahn (A5) than emily started complaining that she was hungry. We happened to be passing a gas station/rest stop where we had eaten soon after arriving in Germany. We were pleasantly surprised by its nice interiors and culinary options the first time so we decided to return. As crazy as it sounds, we may go back to this place for lunch or dinner now and again. It has a convenience store, Burger King, a café and a restaurant that has a great salad bar and tastey almost-ready-to-eat grub. There's also an outdoor playground that you can easily see from tables indoors or on the terrace.
After lunch, we sped toward Karlsruhe in what ended up being pouring rain. We decided to stop at the Karlsruhe Wal-Mart, which as become a Real. Since the change of ownership, they've cleaned the place up. We bought a bunch of stuff while we waited for the rain to stop.

After an hour or so, we headed to the zoo in Karlsruhe. It's located directly across from the Hauptbahhof and has plenty of curb appeal (beautiful flowers, a fountain and café at the entrance). We walked around and saw most of the typical zoo animals as well as the polar bear exhibit, which was cool and depressing at the same time (it's a bit sad to see these kings or the Arctic trapped in an exhibit, however nice).
The most remarkable thing about the place is that it seems to be as much a botanical garden as a zoo. The landscaping and flowers are truly impressive.
We soon decided we'd take the 40 minute full ride on the little boats that make a circuit in a series of ponds and canals. It was very relaxing for all involved. Highlights were the bridges with beautiful flowers and the "dancing" fountains, à la the Venetian in Vegas (although on a slightly smaller scale). By the way, if you want to ride the boats, which I highly recommend, buy tickets at the front gate when you come in.