water water everywhere

Genova (aka Genoa) is a port town that at times feels 100% the port town that it is. There's that certain transient feel in the air. You can buy anything and everything down skinny skittish alleyways. And there's a heck of a lot of neon.

But there's also an aquarium. A very large aquarium - in fact, the largest in Europe. And at 14 euro a ticket I would go so far as to say it's a bargain. We spent almost three hours in the place, and the only real complaint I had was that visitors are forced to walk through two gift stores in the process of visiting the museum. Which isn't as bad as Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago where for a while, and maybe still, the koala lived in the gift store. So if you wanted to see the koala (and who doesn't) you had to go visit him in his charmingly comfortable and homey place of residence - the gift shop. Oh, and at the Aquarium when you enter you're forced to take a photo with a giant seal, a la the Mickey Mouse characters at Disney World but a lot more matted down.

The Aquarium is gigantic and multi-leveled with too many exhibits to count. You do have to suffer the pushing and shoving of toddlers who want to get close to the glass and bang out a hello to the fishies, but it's definitely worth it. There are a ton of tropical fish, jelly fish, dolphins, sharks, penguins, snakes, sting rays and... Like I said, too many creatures to count.



A lot of the exhibits feature multiple species and deeper into the aquarium they're what you would call "experiential." The area is designed as a ship that's set sail on the waters of the world, exploring different waterways and discovering which animals live where. The walk space is designed to feel like a ship on the water and you look over the sides to see the creatures below. Eventually you're moving through a mock jungle area, having landed your sea exploration, replete with vegetation scaling the walls. At this point your path is winding its way to the lower floor where you are then on equal footing with the tanks and the creatures within.

There are sea turtles and sea horses, sea anemones and clown fish. And sting rays that you can touch. Some of the rays would actually lift themselves up out of the water and undulate creepily. It's charming and beautiful when they're swaying and swooping through the water but it feels a little spookier when they're actually raising themselves out of the water and wiggling in the air.



I'll also add that the Aquarium is a great place to learn Italian. There are a lot of Italian parents speaking very slowly and sweetly to their Italian children, in Italian. And as an adult learning a new language, it doesn't get any easier than soaking in the Italian lessons that other adults are giving to their children. "Look at the big fishie," is a useful phrase for anyone -- just think, if you're running around a museum and want to impress your friends you need only replace one word to arrive at the sentence "Look at the big Picasso." Perfect for a viewing of Guernica.

There was actually a fish at the Aquarium that I have never seen before. Ever. And I'm a person who has visited a lot of zoos and aquariums, and doesn't mind reading a National Geographic every now and then. But I had never seen this fish before. Check the next posting to see if you have.

And check out Genova if you're looking for Italy raw. Maybe it's a function of August and all of wholesome Genova is on vacation. Or maybe not. Either way, Genova has a spirit all its own - just be sure you don't encounter it in a dark passageway after dark.