A day in the Monkey House

They seek shelter from the rain and we head outdoors to see them

It’s raining in Stuttgart, so what else to do but visit the Wilhelma again?

Entering the new enclosure

Enthusiastic guests indoors in the new enclosure

The gorillas and bonobos have officially moved in to their new home and boy what a home! We’ve been meaning to see the 20 million Euro enclosure since it opened one and a half weeks ago and finally got the chance on a rainy Sunday. Despite the rain, the park was still well visited.

A young gorilla orphan thrills visitors with his antics in the Gorilla Kindergarten

It’s very much concrete and glass but it’s big, it has a large outdoors area and best of all, it has a gorilla Kindergarten where orphaned baby gorillas get the individual care that they need. It was amazing to watch them play around as a zookeeper sat in their indoor enclosure with them. She spoke to them as if they were human children and they seemed to respond to her. The similarities in humans and gorillas always astounds me.

Inside the new enclosure: plenty to keep the gorillas and bonobos busy

What is also really cool about this new enclosure is that they’ve really put a lot of thought into it. There are many ways in which the animals can entertain themselves, from games where they have to use a stick to push food through holes in a perspex box until the food is within reach, to water fountains and even a TV that the bonobos can control and watch at specific times of the day. There is plenty for them to do and for visitors to observe.

I know that I could have stood there all day watching those young gorillas playing around with so much energy and interacting like little people.

History watching over us

If it weren’t a mausoleum, it would make for a great wedding spot.

Recently we visited a place in Stuttgart atop a hill. I always see it as we are driving because it sticks out above the whole city and the architecture is beautiful.

One of the great things about Europe is that it is steeped in history. The good and the bad, it all adds to its charm and character.

The architecture in the chapel: a work of art by Italian architect Salucci, reminiscent of the Pantheon.
Photo credit: Michael Friz

The Grabkapelle auf dem Württemberg in Stuttgart Rotenberg houses the graves of former Baden-Württemberg royalty. It was built by William I of Württemberg for his beloved wife Catherine Pavlowna of Russia and they, along with William I’s daughter have one of the best views over the city.

Walking up the hill, you can see a part of the Mercedes Museum, the Neckar River, the numerous vineyards that blanket the surrounding hills and a panorama of the city. Above stands the mausoleum / chapel and inside it is a circular structure. A narrow staircase takes you down to the graves, reminiscent of the Vatican Papal Tombs, except that only three graves are to be seen. There are a few more spaces that were intended for the rest of the inner family circle, but they were never needed and remain empty.

What’s so special about this room is that it has amazing acoustics. Standing in the centre of the dark, circular room and clapping sends the sound ricocheting and filling the room with a full sound. It’s no wonder that choirs come here to perform in the above Chapel.

It’s a bit eerie knowing that their bodies lie here, but what else would one expect for a former king and queen? They’ve been watching over Stuttgart for almost 200 years and they will continue to do so for many years to come.

Wallpapers of the week

Here at Kokstars we love wallbase.cc so to show our love were going to show you our top wallpapers of the week.

And as a side note about movies Thor The Dark World got its trailer fix today you can see that HERE

Zoo and Botanical Garden? Yes please!

As promised in my previous post, this one contains some images from Stuttgart’s very own Wilhelma.

A couple of these were taken by me, but the majority were taken by Michael.

The Wilhelma is, as the post title reveals, a combination of zoo and botanical garden, making it a very pleasant place to visit especially when the weather is good. This weekend, the weather conditions were optimal for a Wilhelma visit. Though still chilly at about 7 degrees Celcius, the sun was shining and there was only a very light breeze. We spent about 4 hours there with some of our good friends and the resulting images attest to the magnificence of the Wilhelma.

Do enjoy!