Field trip to the Monaco aquarium

To finish up a study of oceans and seas we took a field trip to Monaco's aquarium, located on a sheer cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. That view alone was worth the trip! Prince Albert I was a big sea explorer and founded the museum in 1910. Marine explorer, Jacques Cousteau, was director there for 30 years. The building is gorgeous, and the live fish from all over the world were so amazing! It was fun to have the girls pointing out coral names and seeing live marine life that we've read about. We didn't have time to explore old town Monaco and the Prince's palace that is also on this little outcropping of land...we'll have to go back another day.

Another cool little door into the old town

This octopus was moving all over the place, as were the other animals. Crabs were dragging sea plants around, big fish were eating smaller fish, it wasn't a boring "zoo"!

I love this picture of Geoff. I caught him totally excited about this first submarine ever, although he looks like he's posing for an elementary school photograph. The submarine was built in 1774 and used by the Americans to attack British warships in the Revolutionary War!

A blue whale skeleton