ARTIS Royal Zoo

A few weeks ago we decided to have a staycation. Sander had time off from work and we had two weeks together. We decided to choose one of those days head back to ARTIS in the heart of Amsterdam. Our goal was simple: relive the memories of our first visit and make a few more.

What I love about ARTIS is that it’s a large but easy to navigate zoo. The newest feature was the improved habitat for the elephants. The space is huge compared to where they used to live, and for good reason! There’s a baby among the herd!

We did our usual tour of all the exhibits. Along with the aviary, the reptile house, and the small mammals building, we covered the entire zoo. We did skip the insects though because there wasn’t anything new to see. We did visit the butterfly house though! Once again it was the stuff of dreams. My favorite area was the aquarium. The tanks are so beautiful to look at. This time around we got to see fish that were longer than I am tall! It amazes me how large some of them can get. It also reinstates my fear of going in the water! Although if we had enough room, I would want an aquarium with jellyfish in it.

For lunch we decided on buying some croissants before we entered the zoo. The visit was more of a day out for us to relax and enjoy the wonderful weather.

What makes ARTIS unique for me, is the history behind it. It was opened in May of 1838 and had only grown since then. If you’ve been following me long enough, you know I have a love for history and stories of the past. I don’t have many stories from my family history so I indulge in the stories of others. Everytime we visit a historical part of The Netherlands, I fall a little more in love with it.