To give Meredythe a FULL NoCal experience, Mark and I decided to take her to Monterey. After all, it seems sad to come ALL the way to the WEST coast and not SEE the West Coast. And, we had a family membership to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We (foolishly it seems - see Tourist Part 2) also planned to drive through Carmel and the woodsy peninsula just south of Monterey. We got a "Meredythe-early" start and had a pleasant drive. Now, I have to share one of my foibles - I don't like seafood. I don't even like pet fish. They smell bad and are slimey and swim in their own poo and pee. What self respecting Virgo COULD like something like that? But I am happy to watch fish swim around in someone ELSE'S aquarium that someone ELSE has to clean. So I do enjoy the Monterey Aquarium. And Meredythe did too. No matter what day of the week or what time of the day you go, you will ALWAYS find TONS of children there. School groups and families flock to this entertaining and very educational place - which is good.... unless you are trying to see anything. Another great part to this place is that you can take pictures.... LOTS of pictures. And with the new digital cameras, many of them even turn out. The Aquarium has created many exhibits for small children where you can prop your little one up inside the giant clam shell or next to the giant sea horse to get that great family photo. We had to wait our turn so that Meredythe could squeeze inside the clam shell for a photo op. It reminded me of years long ago....
I have two favorite parts at the Aquarium - the jelly fish and the seahorses. The staff have done an excellent job of creating a space for the jellies that make them appear to be floating in air. There is no sense of top or bottom or wall behind or glass in front. The room is dimly lit and the tanks are dimly lit and these shapes undulate in a blue space dancing together.
I have more pictures of them and could spend hours watching them flow and swirl. Many different shapes and sizes and species are on display. Each one is a treat for the eyes.
The seahorse display is also fascinating. I didn't know that there were so many different kinds of seahorses. We have some off the west coast and there are some off the east coast as well as exotic species in warm Asiatic waters. And the fathers carry and give birth to the young. How liberated is that? The mating ritual is a dance of entwinement and twirling and tail wrapping.... and then she rubs up against his belly leaving her eggs and heads off to the spa. He tenderly cares for the little squirming things growing in him and then, when it's time, he contracts his tail and pouch and out they pop. And HIS waistline is never the same.... I didn't notice if sea horse males have stretch marks.
This species disguises itself by looking like seaweed. So predators will just swim by because who in their right mind would eat seaweed? There is alot of propaganda in each display. The Aquarium is making a huge effort to educate the public on how to protect the oceans. And they take their fight all the way back to the farms on land with a display of a cow and how it crates methane and what that does..... They hand out cards of the best type of seafood to eat - most sustainable forms of growing or catching - and what to avoid because it is rare or fishing practices are detrimental to other species like sharks and sea turtles. Monkfish liver is on the bad list. I am VERY happy to NEVER eat monkfish liver in my life. There! I'm doing MY part. At first, I felt a bit arrogant and self righteous as I scornfully passed all the "save our planet" displays. After all, didn't we downsize, give up a car, commute to work by bike, walk more, buy locally etc, etc.? And then I watched some of the families reading each display carefully - grandmothers and small children, fathers and mothers and sons and daughters who may NOT have understood the issues or how to make changes. And I realized that I can do more too. Even if I don't eat fish.
After reading every display and looking in every gift shop and photographing fish AT LEAST once, Meredythe was ready to head home. And, no. We did not have time for Carmel or the trees..... maybe next visit.
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