For our granddaughter Lili's 7th birthday we took her to the Miskolc Zoo. Neither Kata nor I had ever been there, but it was not too hard to find. Sign posting is OK in downtown Miskolc, but then it disappears until the last minute right-hand turn for the Vadas Park (rather than zoo). A family ticket (2 adults + 1 child) is only 2800 HUF. We were very lucky with a beautiful autumn day and took our time looking at the 30+ animal species on display. The first stop was a small building that housed some amphibians and spiders, along with some colouring activities for children. There is plenty to see, including everything from rabbits and porcupines to tigers and bears. Although the zoo has a rundown feel, there is still hope - they are busily preparing for the arrival of a few wolves in the near future. We bought a package of animal feed on the honour system for 300 huf. The sign said that the pellets could be fed to all the herbivore animals except the monkeys, but there were many places where signs on the cages forbid feeding the animals, including the ponies. The grounds in fall are very pretty, and it was great just to be able to shuffle our feet through the leaves.

While Lili had her eyes on the animals, I was noticing the wide variety of mushrooms both in and outside of the cages. There was some jelly ear that the porcupines refused access too, and the lynx was standing watch over the honey fungus. The (I believe) poisonous sulphur tuft was nearby the bison and grey cattle.

Tributes to Gerald Durrell were everywhere. Made famous by his joyful books, half autobiography half zoology such as My Family and Other Animals, Durrell later made a name for himself as a wildlife conservationist and his Jersey Zoo/Durrell Wildlife Park (UK). His Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust still operates.

We all enjoyed the day at the zoo!