My son and I went to the Aqua Terra Zoo (“Haus des Meeres“) in Vienna the other day.
Now while I was mostly frightened to death by the spiders, snakes, insects and other godawful critters, there were just as many gorgeous and elegant creatures of the sea to be seen.
Here are a few beautiful impressions…
Turtles doing a conga line…
A dancing seahorse.
A majestic sea turtle.
And a colorful fish.
My son’s favorite was the giant sea turtle and he is still not convinced that having one of these at home is not as much of a fabulous idea as he thinks.
He is hoping that he will at least get a toy turtle from the Easter bunny.
Olfactoria's Travels 
Turtle for me too. What, no Kilian in the this photo shoot?
Unfortunately he is more elusive than the giant sea turtle… 😉
I agree with Jordan 😉
I think seahorses are the most delightful and magical creatures. (And apparently it’s the male seahorse that gives birth.)
Wow, I didn’t know that (off to google seahorses).
They are fascinating to watch – and so beautiful!
Seriously?! I am googling seahorses too! This is National Enquirer Animal Kingdom news!
I really must go there! Looks amazing. A childhood friend of mine had a seahorse in an aquarium and I have loved them ever since.
We should go together sometime, the boys will love it!
Anytime! 🙂
I’ve always found seahorses fascinating and beautiful…
Me too. There was a whole group playing catch and they almost seemed to be dancing with each other…
Lovely pictures! In a similar aquarium in Ireland years ago, Mr Bonkers learnt how to do a first rate impression of a prawn, cupping his hand and waggling his fingers just like their whiskers!
Any rays to stroke?
Ha, you don’t come across a good prawn imitation very often. 🙂
Have to go google what a ray is exactly and if/why they are strokeable…
I am fascinated by that picture of the seahorse! So beautiful 🙂 !
And I concur with your son…what about a little turtle for a pet? I had one as a child and it is so mediating to watch them.
thanks again for starting my day on the right foot….enjoy your day as well 🙂 !!
My son wants a giant turtle, he is not interested in smaller ones. 😉
The seahorse almost seemed to pose for me. 🙂
What marvellous pictures you got, especially of that fish. They tend to disappear in a colourful flash, don’t they? Kids are often fascinated by turtles. My daughter loves a pig-nosed turtle in our local aquarium and we had a crisis once when she couldn’t find it and thought it had been taken away or died. But it was there, just hiding. Here’s a picture of one:
Ours is a lot uglier than that, though. Not a case of finding hidden beauty; more of learning to love ugliness! Well, that’s important too … 🙂
True, the fish was a lucky shot! 🙂
I think that pig-nosed turtle is incredibly cute, not ugly at all! 🙂
I love aquariums. Fish are so amazing to watch. Good luck convincing your son that a giant turtle is probably not the best pet.
Ha, thank you, Poodle! 🙂
What a lovely post and what a lovely day out, very jealous. I suddenly have an over-whelming urge to go home and watch finding Nemo – the turtles in that are completely adorable!
Nemo is so cute! 🙂
Have a wonderful day, Alex!
What beautiful photos you’ve taken! They’ve brightened my day.
I’m with your son, I love aquariums and sea-life in general. I’ve swum with sea turtles and dolphins, and I went whale watching in Iceland but they refused to show up that day 😦
Thank you, Tara! 🙂
It must have been amazing to swim with turtles.
Hey Birgit,
We swam with sea turtles in Greece. AH MAY ZING!!
Portia xx
Hey Portia,
it sounds fantastic!
I bet it was Portia. Swimming with sea turtles. They are very fascinating and beautiful creatures. They look so majestic and regal in their habitat.
Seahorses are a childhood favorite of mine too , fascinated since before I could read, and recently discovered there are several very complicated ones that look like leafy branches to blend in with sea vegetation. So beautiful indeed.
Fascinating creatures.
Somehow I’m not at all surprised you love seahorses, it totally fits the mental picture I have of you, Lucy, I imagine you just as delicate and elegant.
That seahorse picture is extraordinary! But I have a question – What perfume did you choose for this adventure? L’ambre de Merveille?
Thank you!
That day I chose the even more seawater-inspired Eau de Merveilles. 🙂
Perfect choice, isn’t it 🙂
I thought so too. 🙂
Beautiful pictures! I love going to aquariums and always make a point to visit them when we are traveling around. Zoos are great as well, but aquariums are better if the weather is not so nice! Your son has good taste – sea turtles are amazing animals. I’ve been lucky enough to see them several times while snorkeling and got to swim around with them in Hawaii. They are so graceful as they glide along!
I hope to make it possible for my son to see sea turtles in the wild some day.
I agree, Aquariums are a fantastic bad weather option. 🙂
I love aquariums! Thank you for sharing pictures. A seahorse on your picture is a meaty one. The one I tried to take a picture of in one of local aquariums was so transparent that I could barely see it.
Lol, a meat seahorse, I like that notion. I like to think he has a good appetite, good for him! 🙂
A few years ago at the Jersey Shore, I was absolutely stunned when a young girl captured a live sea horse. She was very conscientious: a whole mass of people congregated round her to look at it, and after everyone got to have a quick peek at it, she gently returned it to the ocean. It was a beautiful and rare moment, as I’ve been to the ocean many times and never seen one before.
Loved your photos, Birgit The colors are so vivid, yet there is something about that that is tranquil and stilling too.
Wow, that must have been an amazing encounter. I’m very glad the girl set it back into the ocean though.
I’m glad you liked the photos, I’m happy how they turned out.
Oh, here’s hoping he gets a little turtle then. 🙂
Hope always dies last. 😉
I love ‘Haus des Meeres’. Before I visited for the first time (a couple of years ago), I often wondered about the strange tall grey building made of concrete, when it peeked from behind the busy and bustling Mariahilferstrasse. And the inscription on top of the building – ‘(Smashed to Pieces) In the Still of the Night’ – intriguing.
I like it because of the animals but also because of the contrast it offers to the shopping street – a calm oasis filled with wonderful creatures.
I think I have to revisit soon 🙂
The Haus des Meeres used to be a Flak-Turm, an anti-aircraft missile tower in WWII, hence the starkness of the building and the strange quote.
It is a beautiful thing that this war-time structure now houses so much life. 🙂
Oh, that I didn’t know! Thanks for the explanation.
You are welcome. 🙂
I’m envious, as I love aquariums, but there’s nothing big that’s local; Vancouver’s aquarium is very cool though. And I chuckled at your description of the icky spiders, snakes and insects, as I quite enjoy those as well. I’m the mom that’s always willing to hold the giant millipedes or Walking Sticks on school field trips. What can I say, I was meant to have four boys! 🙂
I was not meant to have boys, that is for sure. But thankfully I have two lovely little knights who save me from all the evil spiders and other creepy crawlies. 😉