Rainy Saturday morning + energetic children = day at aquarium
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

side·track (sīd´trăk): n. 1. A diversion from the main course. 2. A detour taken with children that you would never, ever take without them.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Who and What:
Myself, my husband, and our daughters, Zoe – 3 years and Cora – 2 years. Sea Life Aquarium in the lovely town of Speyer, Germany.

Why:
Simple math: Rainy Saturday morning + energetic children = day at aquarium. Unfortunately, many others shared this brilliant idea.

The High Point:
My kids loved touching a starfish and holding an anemone with the help of the friendly staff working there. The signs describing the habitat and sea life are in German as well as English. There is a glass tunnel you walk through near the end of the tour with huge schools fish, sharks, and a sea turtle swimming all around you.

The Low Point:
We found it to be a bit pricey at 13 euro for adults, 10 for kids. There is a one way path to follow through the aquarium that takes you by each of the exhibits which became quite crowded at some of the more popular displays. The path also goes directly through the gift shop in all of its breakable glory, making it impossible to avoid. Also, be forewarned that there is only one restroom location at the end of the tour for any of you travel savvy potty training moms out there.

The Kids’ Take:
Cora was completely overcome with joy upon spotting a small clownfish in a tiny display: “NEMO!!!!” Thank you, Disney.  Zoe: “Where are the sharks? Are we at the sharks yet? Where are the sharks? Didn’t you say there are sharks here with big teeth? WOW sharks!!!

The Bottom Line:
It would have been a better experience minus the crowd. If you do go, I would make sure you leave yourself a chunk of time to explore the town of Speyer as well. The aquarium is just a 10-minute walk to the impressive Speyer Cathedral, the largest remaining Romanesque church in Europe. Speyer also has a charming pedestrian zone to stroll, pretzel stands aplenty, and if you’re inclined to have a beer while in Germany, check out the Dom Hof brewery, where they have a playground for the kids in the beautifully blooming ‘bier garten’ area.

Like this?  Get our monthly newsletter.

August 26th, 2010 | by Julie Breitigan 1 comment