At some point in early parenthood, you will find yourself flicking through Disney channels or Youtube for nursery rhymes or even lullabies. This is how I came across ‘baby shark’. During one of my perfunctory Q&A with Jenny’s carer at the nursery, I asked how she had been. She goes on to recount how much fun my little one had AND how much her face lights up at the sound of the song ‘baby shark’. As you probably know by now, Jenny isn’t the only one who smiles with glee and even promises to eat her veg if she can have another minute of baby shark. Cut a long story short, this is one of the main reasons we decided to make sure we didn’t leave Portugal without visiting Oceanario.
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Eh ehm there is also that little fact of it being the largest indoor aquarium in Europe! But first of, some recognition to Takashi Amano. He was a landscape photographer who played a major role in the plant design of the aquariums at Oceanario.
To say i was wowed doesn’t equate my reaction. I had all sorts of questions running through my mind about how in the world it was all made and kept so pristine! Call me silly but the whole time i was wondering how come i have yet to see any fish getting jumped by a shark.
Why go to Oceanario?
You will get to see 8000 animals and plants from 500 species all under one roof. I must admit you will never find me enjoying documentaries on animals or plants unless they are talking about whipping it up on a plate. And I wasn’t exactly all that excited about going to Oceanario, to be honest but once I got there I was so intrigued and just couldn’t keep myself from saying “wow” to this and that.
You can get to book a guided tour of both the permanent and temporary exhibitions. There is so much to see that chances are unless you’re a specialist in the field then you will run into all kinds of species you never saw or heard of. We didn’t have a guide and just did a few rounds, though I have to say finding the toilet was like walking through a maze – which I guess for some may be fun. But for a pregnant woman about to burst, not so much. They do have baby changing rooms which are a huge plus!
If you’re lucky enough to live in the area you can organise to have your little one’s birthday party there.
You can book to enjoy a baby concert which is performed in front of a mesmerizing aquarium background. You would need to pay for this. I also did read something about a sleepover with sharks for kids? Hahahaha I’m not sure about you but this sounds nothing close to a scenario that would have me sleep in peace. I mean yes you know that the glass won’t break but come on guys, could you fall asleep with the thought of a shark lurking behind glass near you? Call me a wuss but you couldn’t get me to buy this package! Should anyone have the guts to do this then please let us know how it went.
All in all, this is definitely one place I would recommend you visit when in Lisbon. Whether you have kids or not, or you’re into marine biology. They also have a mini theatre showcasing ‘behind the scenes’ footage of what goes into the aquarium upkeep. Who would have thought food preparation for fish could be so intricate and meticulous?
Oh yeah, there is also a restaurant and souvenir shop for you to splurge. Even the design for this was so creatively thought out. A ‘sea life’ theme with shipwrecked boats and a ceiling that looked like sea waves and fish.
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