After 45 minutes on the water, we wanted to explore beneath the waves. So when the boat docked, we walked a couple hundred yards to the world-famous Aquarium of the Pacific for another ocean adventure. It was a memorable and educational day in Long Beach, California. 

Our getaway began at Shoreline Village, a waterfront shopping/dining/recreation hub located in Long Beach’s gorgeous Rainbow Harbor. Here we booked a 45-minute harbor cruise (adults $20 and children $10) with Harbor Breeze Cruises (www.2seewhales.com). 

The harbor tour began aboard the Kristina, a two-deck boat that has obviously seen her share of ocean adventures. The vessel was parked next to the Christopher, another Harbor Breeze ship that is used for whale watching. 

Once we got out of Shoreline Village, the first thing we saw was the legendary Queen Mary ship. Launched  in 1936, in Southampton, England, the Queen Mary was at the time, the largest and most luxurious ocean liner ever built, and set a new standard in transatlantic travel. It was also a magnet for the rich and famous. 

During her time at sea, the Queen Mary also carried WWII troops and had a bounty put on her by Nazi Germany. After WWII, the ship was retrofitted and put back into civilian service until its last voyage in October 1967, which led her to her final docking station in Long Beach, where she has been since.

Next to the Queen Mary, we saw a giant Carnival cruise ship, and the world’s largest, free-span aluminum geodesic structure. The giant, white dome is 115 feet high and 400 feet wide and was designed and built to house Howard Hughes’ giant flying boat, the Spruce Goose. 

Continuing our cruise, we passed the Thums Islands, a group of four artificial islands off the coast of Long Beach that were built in 1965 to tap into the East Wilmington Oil Field. Looking more like resorts or theme parks than oil facilities, the tiny islands were named THUMS after the companies that founded them: Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil, and Shell.

Other harbor cruise highlights included seeing dolphins and seals, the beautiful Long Beach skyline, Rainbow harbor’s myriad yachts and fishing boats, and the city’s rock jetty, which, at more than eight miles long, is the world’s longest man-made breakwater. 

When the boat returned to dock, we walked a couple hundred yards to the Aquarium of the Pacific (www.aquariumofpacific.org), one of the best public aquariums in the country. 

Showcasing more than 12,500 animals, the Aquarium of the Pacific is built around three themed areas of the Pacific Ocean, the planet’s largest and most diverse body of water. The aquarium’s galleries represent the sunny Southern California and Baja region; the frigid waters of the North Pacific; and the colorful reefs and lagoons of the Tropical Pacific. Sprinkled around these main areas are numerous other fun and informative exhibits, including Shark Lagoon and Lorikeet Forest.

The first thing we saw when we entered the aquarium was a humongous, life-sized model of a blue whale  hanging from the ceiling. Below this our eyes were drawn to the nearly three-story tall Honda Blue Cavern. This giant aquarium within the aquarium, features giant sea bass swimming through kelp forests. At lunch time real scuba divers enter and feed the fish. One of the diver also gave kids a lesson on the fish and their underwater habitat and posed for pictures with the little ones. 

One of my favorite outdoor exhibits is “Shark Lagoon,” which features several species and sizes of sharks, along with large rays. A highlight here is that visitors can get up-close and even touchy-feely with some sharks and rays. Bamboo and epaulette sharks glide around the three shallow touch pools, where guests can reach in and touch these gentle and graceful animals. 

Other sharks are visible through a viewing window and guests can come nose-to-nose with zebra and gray reef sharks. Daily presentations and feedings in Shark Lagoon showcase the power and beauty of these remarkable predators. Various interactive displays highlight sharks’ senses, sizes, teeth, and reproduction, as well as their importance in the ocean’s food chain.

Near Shark Lagoon is Lorikeet Forest aviary, a 5,400-square-foot outdoor aviary that takes visitors to the coastal lowlands of Australia where dozens of lively lorikeets fill the trees. Here, you can purchase a small cup of nectar, the lorikeets’ favorite food, and feed the birds while walking through the exhibit. The 10-inch birds will land on your hand, arm, shoulder or even your head to get a sip of sweet nectar.

In the Southern California Gallery there are over ten exhibits and more than three dozen species to be found. Highlights include the California two-spot octopus, leopard and horn sharks, California scorpion fish, a moray eel, California spiny lobsters, Catalina goby, and California’s state marine fish—the Garibaldi. Visitors will be able to get up close to these animals as they explore things such as underwater habitats off Catalina, and on oil rigs, which serve as artificial reefs located between the mainland near the Aquarium and Catalina Island. 

Another highlight in the Southern California/Baja Gallery is the 211,000-gallon Seals and Sea Lions Habitat is home to harbor seals and California sea lions. Shows are held twice daily, where visitors can learn more about the animals and observe as they respond to trainer’s cues. Visitors can also schedule an animal encounter with a sea lion and participate in a feeding and training session.

The Gulf of California exhibit features some of the variety of one of the most biologically productive and diverse seas in the world. It includes unique species of butterfly fishes, and large silvery fish called Mexican lookdowns. Other things to see include California spiny lobsters and beautiful jellyfish.

The Northern Pacific Gallery represents the 800,000 square miles between Alaska, Siberia, the Bering Strait, and the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea.The Bering Sea is home to over 450 species of fish and invertebrates, 50 bird species, and 25 species of marine mammals. 

This gallery features 16 exciting exhibits, including several species of sea jellies, sea otters and the elusive giant Pacific octopus. The largest species of octopus in the world, these intelligent and mysterious creatures grow to over 20 feet and can weigh more than 100 pounds. Puffins and diving birds are also found in the area. And in the Aquarium’s new Pacific Visions wing, visitors can experience a state-of-the-art immersive theater, an art gallery, and a culmination gallery with interactives, game tables, and live animal exhibits. 

The Aquarium of the Pacific is located at 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach, CA. For more information call (562) 590-3109 or visit www.aquariumofpacific.org.

The post Historic Ships and Sea Life in Long Beach appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I’ve been snorkeling before — but never in the past did the fish swarm to me rather than my having to swim out to them. But then again I don’t usually carry a supply of squiggly little sardines with me when I go, while at the same time making meaningful eye contact. Well, meaningful to me anyway.

So there I was co-mingling with tarpon, common snook, French grunts, permit fish, horse-eyed jack, and assorted friends. The Cownose rays were especially playful. At every turn, I was greeted by another underwater inhabitant: puffers, porcupine and butterfly fish, snappers, groupers – not that I really had any idea as to their individual identities at the time.

I wasn’t really surprised to find the infamous sharks behind a Plexiglas shield and fed through small holes in the glass. Still, the shark didn’t look any less menacing for being behind protective covering. I carefully followed the instructions on when to feed them directly and when to take better care of my fingers. There’s not always a second chance to do that with a shark…

Instructor Dan intones: “I’ll open the window and see how fast you guys can swim…”  “Cool,” says my ever-eager 10-year-old snorkel companion. Fortunately, his shark-challenged swimming capabilities remained untested. Ah so many fish, so little time — I fed as many as I could in the 35-minute feeding frenzy and came away with a new respect for the difference between just snorkeling — and actually swimming with the fishes.

Once back on land, touring the grounds was almost as spectacular. Walking around the complex, I felt like I had entered a magical forest of tropical plants, mangroves, palm trees surrounding multiple pools of a wide variety of fish from grouper to sting rays to angel and parrot fish to turtles and sharks and spiny lobsters. The extensive educational signage everywhere would satisfy the most eco-curious of visitors.

Throw food in one lagoon and Rainbow Parrot Fish appear from nowhere and brighten up the water immediately and immeasurably. A surprising thrill!

Carousing with sting rays in their private pool, I felt covered most of the time by a soft lightweight blanket caressing my body — only this blanket wanted to be fed fish which it ate with its underbelly.  And we all know lions travel in “prides” and fish in “schools,” but did you know a group of sting rays is a “fever” and a bunch of sharks are a “shiver”? I clearly was surrounded by a fever of sting rays.

There are multiple touch tanks and feeding options. At Big Shark Bay, the sharks – relatives, I assume, to those in the coral reef tank — react to a sound and light show that brings them to an area to be fed and petted. But if they don’t choose to respond no one is going to force them. They’re big – and well – also they’re sharks.

The African-spurred tortoises are the third largest species of tortoise in the world and it’s difficult to distinguish them from the huge boulders sharing their exhibit. And then there are the incredibly bizarre-looking, colorful, very distinctly shaped lion fish who, by a freak of nature, are terribly destructive to the environment but ironically considered a dining delicacy.

Whether just traversing the grounds or actively participating in an underwater adventure, Marathon’s Aquarium Encounters is a thoroughly interactive experience that leaves you ever more appreciative of the many denizens of the deep. For more information, visit floridakeysaquariumencounters.com.

The post Aquarium Encounters, Marathon, FL: A Playful Interactive Interplay with Sea Creatures both Underwater and Above Ground appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Beatle Beat Trivia

In which Beatle song is there a reference to a character in a Bob Dylan song?

Scroll down for the answer

Plan an Edinburgh Bucket List Trip!

MORE

5 Reasons Travelers Shouldn’t Fear Sharks

Courtesy Jessica Macdonald, tripsavvy

If the fear of sharks keeps you from enjoying the ocean, you’re not alone. It’s a fear shared by millions — instilled into the public consciousness with the 1975 release of the movie Jaws, and perpetuated by films like Open Water and The Shallows ever since.

MORE

Sgt. Bill Mauldin’s Drawings a Great History Story

Courtesy of the Library of Congress

He meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin’s drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on the front lines.

MORE

8 Popular Destinations Where Air Pollution Could Ruin Your Trip

Air pollution does a lot more than cause canceled or postponed vacations — it kills millions of people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. Some of the worst places for air pollution are also home to bucket-list-worthy sights. But missing them might be the least of your problems if smog ramps up during your visit: Symptoms of air pollution sickness include nausea, coughing, headache, itchy eyes — and air pollution can cause long-term breathing problems.

Here are some of the worst destinations for smog, especially if you already suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems.

India

The Taj Mahal attracts thousands of travelers every day, but the city it’s in is one of the worst in the world for air pollution. Smog in Agra can cut visibility so dramatically that you can’t see much more than an outline of the giant tomb, and visitors who don’t cancel their trip during a period of heavy smog can be seen wearing face masks to visit.

MORE

Norway’s Fjords to Become Zero Emission Zones

Courtesy Marie Donlon, Insights Global Spec

In eight years’ time, Norway’s fjords are expected to become zero emission zones — a move that would likely impact the cruise ships and ferries bringing tourists to one of Europe’s most popular destinations. According to the recent announcement from the Norwegian Parliament, officials hope to reduce the carbon footprint linked to these ships and ferries.

MORE

Countries Difficult for Americans to Visit

In spite of broad generalizations that Americans have no interest in leaving their own borders, US citizens are traveling abroad in record numbers. According to the US National Tourism Office, nearly 67 million Americans chose to take an international trip in 2016. The world may be our oyster, but some countries impose harsh visa requirements that may hinder American tourism.

MORE

Time Capsule Cinema

Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac”

By Walt Mundkowsky

By this viewer’s idiosyncratic standards, Cul-de-Sac (1966) is Roman Polanski’s sole brush with greatness, and the only feature to keep faith with the surrealist metaphors and perceptions of his celebrated short films. It’s his most bizarrely funny, as well as his most serious work.

MORE

In First Lady’s Hometown in Slovenia, the Business Is Melania

Courtesy The New York Times

Melania cake. Melania cream. Melania wine. Melania tea. Melania slippers. Melania salami. Melania chocolate-coated apple slices. There are few products that the enterprising burghers of Sevnica, a small, rural Slovenian town where Melania Trump spent her formative years, have not sought to brand in honor of the first lady of the United States.

MORE

Random Acts of Canine Kindness

Cedric the Dog takes a well-earned break after organizing a protest at an alt–right Neo-Nazi rally in Nebraska.

Dog Quotations

10 Most Misleading Travel Terms

Courtesy Jamie Ditaranto, SmarterTravel

If you spend enough time comparing hotels, flights, and tours, you’ll eventually realize that many words have very little meaning in the travel industry. You might think that there would be some sort of common agreement on travel terms across hotels that would define what makes a suite a suite or a deluxe room better than a standard room, but no such agreements exist. Travelers are often surprised to find that what they booked is not quite what they expected.

Here are some travel hype words you should take lightly, and that might even signal you should do a little more research.

MORE

The Circus Animals’ Desertion

By William Butler Yeats

I

I sought a theme and sought for it in vain,
I sought it daily for six weeks or so.
Maybe at last being but a broken man
I must be satisfied with my heart, although
Winter and summer till old age began
My circus animals were all on show,
Those stilted boys, that burnished chariot,
Lion and woman and the Lord knows what.

II

What can I but enumerate old themes,
First that sea-rider Oisin led by the nose
Through three enchanted islands, allegorical dreams,
Vain gaiety, vain battle, vain repose,
Themes of the embittered heart, or so it seems,
That might adorn old songs or courtly shows;
But what cared I that set him on to ride,
I, starved for the bosom of his fairy bride.

And then a counter-truth filled out its play,
`The Countess Cathleen’ was the name I gave it,
She, pity-crazed, had given her soul away
But masterful Heaven had intervened to save it.
I thought my dear must her own soul destroy
So did fanaticism and hate enslave it,
And this brought forth a dream and soon enough
This dream itself had all my thought and love.

And when the Fool and Blind Man stole the bread
Cuchulain fought the ungovernable sea;
Heart mysteries there, and yet when all is said
It was the dream itself enchanted me:
Character isolated by a deed
To engross the present and dominate memory.
Players and painted stage took all my love
And not those things that they were emblems of.

III

Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder’s gone
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.

Send Deb your favorite travel poems.

10 of the World’s Craziest Landings

Courtesy Ashley Rossi

These 10 airports have some of the craziest landings in the world. Fretful flyers, you’ve been warned.

Flying can be a nerve-racking experience for fretful travelers; however, landings at these 10 airports are sure to frighten even the most frequent flyers. From an airport at the edge of a cliff to sandy beach landings, here are the world’s craziest runways — consider yourself warned.

MORE

Beatle Beat Trivia Answers

Question: In which Beatle song is there a reference to a character in a Bob Dylan song?

Answer: “Mr. Jones” is the main character in the Bob Dylan song, Ballad of a Thin Man, which appears on Highway 61 Revisited.

Who Is Mr. Jones in Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”?

In Bob Dylan’s famed August 1965 interview with Nora Ephron and Susan Edmiston many silly questions were asked: “Where did you get that shirt?” At one point, Ephron had the gumption to ask Dylan, “Who is Mr. Jones in ‘Ballad of a Thin Man?’”

Dylan’s Answer

The post Melania Trump, Beatle Trivia, Edinburgh appeared first on Traveling Archive.