The Best Aquarium in the World Ever?

After about 5 independent recommendations, we finally decided that driving the 2.5 hours to Monterey to see the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium would be a good day out.  And what a day out!

After a quick Skype with Granny & Grandad, we headed off into the rain.  We took Route 1 south, as there would be no point in driving along the beautiful Pacific coastal highway after dark on our return, and it was blowy but still wonderful as always to see the vast crashing waves.

We stopped for a hamburger lunch at a retro diner in Monterey before going in, a bit of a treat!

Then inside.

Favourites were the big red octopi, jellyfish, seahorses, the big wave machine and the hands on section, where you could touch a starfish, a crab and a squooshy sea cucumber!  We thought P would be best off with a piece of kelp to investigate, and she seemed pretty happy with that.

And of course the incredible Open Water exhibit, with Hammerhead Sharks, Sea Turtles and even a Sunfish!  They are so weird and wonderful.

I love aquariums for the beautiful patterns in the marine world, a plethora of unique colours and textures!

A long drive home through the dark and fog, though a little quicker as we went the direct route.  Not keen to drive off the edge of the continent into the Pacific!

For more aquarium pics, see my Tumblr page.