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Welcome to the world of the Vincent D'Onofrio obsessed - and a bit of real life thrown in.


Thursday, August 12, 2010

White on Wight

Yesterday I went to Southampton to visit my cousin and her husband. We were intending to catch the ferry to the Isle of Wight and visit the zoo, which is renowned for its big cats, especially the white ones.

The zoo is actually very small, and the enclosures are not large. They are carrying out a big rebuilding and renovation programme, which looks long overdue.

It has to be said, though, that although the zoo supports conservation work, it began life as a tiger and big cat sanctuary, and the animals tend to have been rescued from poor conditions, such as circuses. They certainly all look in good condition and content.



There is at least one jaguar at the zoo, and I did see her, but by the time I went to take a picture, she had retreated from view.

On the way home, the train stopped at Winchester. I was surprised to see a sign on the platform that said "Home of the Winchester College of Art".

No mention of the ancient Winchester Cathedral.


Silence on the Great Hall of the castle...

...with its medieval interior, and hanging at the end of it...

...the Round Table, made in the 13th century by Henry III and repainted in Henry VIII's time.


There's nowt so strange as folk.

7 comments:

Eliza said...

Thank You so much for sharing..brings back memories :-)

It seems like a tiny site compared to most zoo's but the work they do is brilliant

Music Wench said...

Thanks for sharing those beautiful photos of the cats! And the architecture. I would be in heaven if I could live in England for a year.

SnarkAngel said...

Looks like a day well spent, Val! Thanks for sharing.

JoJo said...

WOW!!!! Those cats are absolutely beautiful. And a white lion! So cool!!! Although now I have the Ray Conniff Singers' version of "Winchester Cathedral" stuck in my head...lol

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

Anonymous said...

Ah, but we're supposed to be 'ashamed' of our history I think.....

Anonymous said...

Absolutely stunning video, Val, my goodness the breath-taking shots you got. When I see that white tiger it reminds me of the story from Vincent, from his interview in Sarasota, in which he equates his being on CI as like that of a white tiger in a cage. Like JoJo, I immediately thought of the same song. Thank you for capturing these rare beautiful moments for all of us to see and marvel at!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the travelogue. Your vid is great, i love the white lion.

I came in Winchester with the college when I was a child. I was disappointed by the Round Table, I thought it was much greater! I didn't realize what I saw, I was too young.

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