Thursday, May 03, 2007

The sharks of La Rochelle Aquarium

With the (grand)parents visiting, we're having another at home vacation. The farthest we've gone so far has been La Rochelle, where we went on a day-trip to visit the aquarium.



This aquarium is amazing -- it's huge with tons of tanks of fish on three levels (representing different ocean regions). It's also very educational, with lots of information on ocean life, ecosystems, habitats, etc.



However, if you've seen any of the advertising for this aquarium, you'll know that the big draw is the shark collection:



This is what we went for. I've talked about Nico's fondness for sharks when I was discussing the birds and the bees and the whales, and sharks have been a frequent theme for him at playtime and in stories he invents. So we knew he'd love to have the opportunity to see the sharks up close and personal.

Here's a picture of me and my two kids contemplating the sharks as they swim past us:



The shark tank is really impressive. The aquarium has a number of large tanks, but the shark tank is the largest -- it's three stories tall, and you can see in on three levels. And it's filled with a number of sharks that swim right next to the glass wall so you can see all of the detail, including their teeth. Nico loved it, and was ready to sit there and watch the sharks all day. (He and Leo named them Frankie, Lenny, and Don Lino...)



I was amazed and impressed too, but after about a half an hour of it, I was like "Um, this is starting to creep me out... Can we go look at something else?"

7 comments:

Rebecca said...

In the second picture your kid looks like he's swimming along next to them. Aquariums are so cool!

C. L. Hanson said...

Hey Rebecca!!!

That's what it was like -- some of the tanks were so huge that the kids could follow the fish around!!!

JulieAnn said...

Oh I SO have to come visit you!! And since you've already had a "peek" at me...(thanks caryn) I should be able to see you!

he he he

Hellmut said...

That is amazing. I did not even take the kids to the acquarium in Baltimore yet.

Is there anything of the Huguenot heritage left in La Rochelle?

C. L. Hanson said...

Hey JulieAnn!!!

That would be great fun!!!

Hey Hellmut!!!

I'm not sure -- we weren't really there long enough to learn much about the history of the area.

Gluby said...

I love aquariums. Great pictures!

Ah, it makes me miss the 100-gallon freshwater aquarium I used to have, with something like 52 fish in it (no, it wasn't overstocked, but it was at around capacity -- I did the calculations). Fish are soothing.

C. L. Hanson said...

Thanks Gluby!!!

They're fun, aren't they? :D