Life: Idiotropic

Today we dropped Kirk off at the Dusseldorf International Airport so he could spend two weeks at a class in D.C., and we drove north just 30 minutes to Oberhausen to go to an aquarium.

It was a Sunday. It was sunny. I thought that I'd be a "good mom" and take the kids to something fun. And I've missed zoos. In Oklahoma we had a family membership to both the zoo and the Omniplex science center. For only $50 a year all 6 of us could go to the zoo every day if we wanted to. It was perfect. In 18 months here, today was the first time we've been to any animal attraction - not because they're not here - there are actually a lot of zoos around, but because I couldn't stomach the cost. Over $20 a person for some. Almost that much for the less-expensive zoos.


Oberhausen itself is nice. They have a new centrum area set up with it's theaters and entertainment centers all in one location around a nicely kept canal lined with a variety of international restaurants on one side and a decent looking amusement park on the other. Lined on both sides with a green space with ducks and fountains, it feels a bit like Oklahoma City's Bricktown or San Antonio's Riverwalk. It does not feel like Germany - instead, it's very modern. We could have been anywhere.

We parked in the SeaLife parking which was not anywhere remotely near SeaLife, so by the time we dragged our weary selves hot and sweaty into SeaLife itself, we were ready to jump in with the fish to cool off.

Ahhh... so now I know why I don't go to these places here in Europe. Cha Ching. For myself and the 4 girls, it was 61 Euros (close to $100) just to get in. We didn't even get the little booklet - that would have been 3 Euros more. Now I've been to great aquariums. I've been to Seattle and San Francisco and Monterrey. Nothing can compare with Monterrey. And that certainly didn't cost anywhere near $100 to get in. But there we were amazed, wowed, and astounded. There, we spent almost the entire day and wanted more. At SeaLife I tried to get my money's worth. We stood and chatted in each room. We walked prehistorically slow like the great dinosaur processional in the blazing sun. We dallied and dawdled. And still, after 2.5 hours, we'd absolutely exhausted the possibilities at SeaLife. We'd pontificated each fish. We counted sharks swimming above our heads as if they were sheep. The kids played at the Pirate Island Play area. And after 2.5 hours we were all (even the kids) ready to go.
Photos: Arianna, Luci, and Elise on the toy helicopter "ride" at the end of the aquarium - ironically enough, the highlight of the day. My girls in Oberhausen on a small bridge over the canal.


From there we walked sadly past the Centrepark amusement park thinking how much better spent my money could have been until we found an Italian restaurant where, for significantly less money, we had an absolutely fabulous meal in an exquisite atmosphere with impeccable service.

What can I say... live and learn. Now I can add one thing to my list... what do I miss about the US? Affordable, quality zoos and aquariums. Sad.