Our Sweet Angels from God: Art Meets Ice 2012

An ice sculpting competition was at our local zoo the past two weekends, and we wanted to make sure not to miss it. We decided to go it alone, because the first weekend our CLO with the Embassy had put together a trip to the zoo to see it but we had other plans, so we decided not to miss out on the last weekend. We ended up going with our friends, Jill & Chris and their children but not until sometime after lunch. It was definitely cold outside so we wanted to make sure everyone was all bundled up since we were walking there from our house. That is how close the zoo is to our house, two islands over probably about a 25 minute walk. Mustikkamaa is the island between Kulosaari, where we live, and Korkeasaari, the island that the zoo is on. It's not too bad of a walk but in the cold and snow it does tend to slow you down a little. Also when your husband wants to go and walk across the water with your child, it not only slows things down but does tend to make your heart race a little more. At the time that this started to take place, I was walking back to our house because I forgot the card to the camera in the computer. So of course, Troy took that opportunity to start walking across the Baltic Sea while I was gone so by the time I got back to the bridge he, Chloe, Chris & Claire were almost across it. I was relieved to see that they made it across. I'm not quite sure why I was freaking out because they had people right smack in the middle of the sea, ice fishing.

People sitting down watching their fishing holes

I guess it's just so weird for a southerner to see such things happening whenever you have never been exposed to it before.

Stopping to take a photo on the Baltic Sea

OMG!! They are standing next to a boat!

There is definitely something wrong with this picture!

Ice fishing hole

Where boats are normally parked!

After the climb back up to the foot of the bridge that the husbands and children took, we continued our journey to the zoo.

Once we got there the children started to get excited because the first animal they saw was a beautiful Amur Leopard pacing back and forth in front of the glass and gate. It seems to be something he likes to do by the trail he's made and also being that I saw him before on another visit doing the same thing. He obviously likes all the visitors and wants to make sure he's seen. He really is beautiful and the children obviously enjoyed their visit with him.

Claire, Chloe, & Michael

Having fun watching the Leopard

Amur Tiger (Siberian Tiger)

After seeing the Leopard we walked over to see the Tiger. There weren't many animals out for viewing, I mean can you blame them. It was freezing outside and who would want to stay outside in the cold if they didn't have to. Most of them were in a building or cave made for them. After passing through the zoo and making our way to the ice sculptors, we took pictures pretty quickly because the cold was getting to the children, and us too for that matter. It was time to go. We enjoyed the sculptures and sculptors in the middle of their projects.