Visiting an aquarium is one of those touristy activities that I don’t normally seek out. I grew up in Baltimore, home of the National Aquarium, and I think I subconsciously believed that my home aquarium is the best in the world and there is no point in visiting any others.
This was wrong, of course. Ray suggested visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium during our Hello Weekend trip to Cape Town back in June and it was one of the best activities of the weekend. I had forgotten how much fun aquariums are. I also realized that the Two Oceans Aquarium is a really fun place to take fish pictures.
The aquarium’s entrance hall.
Instagramming the fish.
We arrived at the aquarium about an hour before it closed so we didn’t get to spend a ton of time looking at the exhibits. But we did have nearly the entire aquarium to ourselves, which was great. And I was there long enough to learn that Two Oceans Aquarium, besides being a lovely tourist attraction, is a world-class institution doing great things to conserve South Africa’s underwater ecosystems. (Read about the aquarium’s conservation work and sustainable practices.)
Fish. (Update: Two Oceans Aquarium tweeted me to say that this is an evil-eye puffer fish. Best fish name ever.)
Fish. (Update: South African butterfly fish.)
Fish. (Update: Coachman fish)
Loggerhead turtle! My favorite.
Ray particularly enjoyed his role as Two Oceans Aquarium model.
Ray inside the clown fish tank.
Lord of the Prawns.
Fish-gazer.
I see more aquarium fish photography in my future.
The Two Oceans Aquarium is located at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront and is open every day of the year from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It’s the perfect Cape Town tourist activity during bad weather, or whenever you find yourself downtown with a couple of hours to kill. Click here for more information.
My trip was provided courtesy of Cape Town Tourism. Opinions expressed are my own.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.