We took advantage of the long weekend to visit the National Zoo & Aquarium. Alastair and his parents treated me to an early birthday present...which meant that I got the opportunity to get up close and personal with a cheetah today! Alastair and I also managed to surprise his mum with a meet a cheetah experience too, which meant that we both got to visit the cheetah at the same time.

It was wonderful to get up close and personal with the cheetah. It was probably the quickest 15 minutes but it was oh-so-fun to pet them and hear their deep purring.

Between us three, we got to hand feed a beautiful tiger, hold Betty the boa constrictor (which wasn't cold or slimy as I expected - she was actually quite smooth), feed a giraffe, feed a bear, admire the various sea creatures and reptiles in the aquarium section, take lots of photos, and listen to many zoo keeper talks. All in all, a very fun day!

My mother-in-law and I also pressed a few souvenir coins and she also bought me a very cute hand crafted necklace with a cheetah pendent to remind us of today's adventures. Very thoughtful gift and I love it!

The rest of the photos are available on my flickr zoo set.