Last night, we visited
Ocean Park. They have special events over Halloween, when they are open from 6 p.m. until midnight. With Christel, Kostia, Liza and Paul, we spent the first half of the evening wearing silly hats and getting sick and soaked at various rides, like the wild-water something-something, and the mine-train something else. For the second half, we visited the famous aquarium.
Ocean Park features one of the nicest aquariums I have seen. It consists of one large cylindrical pool, vertically divided in half. One side is reserved for is for large fish (sharks, rays, wrasses) and turtles, the other for smaller reef-fish, such as parrot or angel fish. The visitors' route starts with a view on the top of the pool, and then spirals to the bottom, over a height of three stories. Even the top-view is magnificent, as turtles and rays frequently break the surface, and catch a breath of air.
What makes this aquarium so special is the tremendous amount of different species on the one hand, and its great visual depth on the other. Visitors don't look at a flat aquarium, but rather in a fortune-teller's crystal ball. This is truly amazing, and well thoguht out. The effect on us was dramatic. Seconds ago we screamed and rode on roller-coasters, and upon entering the aquarium instantly fell silent and became quiet. A bit like scuba diving; and that's as good as an aquarium gets...
