Freja and the sharks!

Today we went to see the sharks at the Kattegat Center. Kattegat is a region of the sea between Denmark and Sweden, and the idea of the centre is to show some of the sea life there. Since the sea life of the Baltic is less than glamorous however, the owners have built a large shark pool and this has subsequently become the main attraction. The sharks aren't huge, but they are sharks and it was the first time I've ever seen a real shark. On the Kattegat site, the shark tank is described as having a shallow end which gives refuge to the smaller sharks, and rays, which was true, but I also noted that one of the rays had had the tip of its wing recently bitten off!

Freja loved it. She rocketed about, sticking her hands in all the water she could reach and since they had a lot of 'touch pools' it didn't take long for her sleeves to get wet! There were rays and sturgeons in one tank who were very approachable. One of the rays kept swimming with one eye over the surface checking out the freaky humans. I also got a really good look at a Leopard shark and was very impressed by its long muscular form. If there is a God, he has a very strong regard for the beauty of sharks!

Tucked away in one corner was a Galathea-3 exhibition. Much to my ironic amusement, I noted it was deserted (whilst the rest of the place was packed). I still can't get over what a wasted opportunity Galathea-3 was. I'm very disapointed in the whole thing. Its not that the science was lacking, I'm certain there was alot of that (though the exhibition today showed nothing of interest except a few trilobyte fossils). It was just the presentation. There was never anything worth reading about. Galathea 3 was described as if it were a vacation for a bunch of jaded journalists who had no clue as to why they were sailing around the world and when they got back they tried to conceal their failure by spreading tales about the ship being full of drunks and partying crew members. Subsequent reports by members of the science teams do not seem to support this claim however.

Getting to the centre was a bit of a hassle since we went with my parents and I get really stresssed out when ever I have to be with my parents (no idea why though, they just get me all worked up). I react psychosomatically and this time was no exception. I had painful cramps and an upset stomach all the way out there, almost an hour in my Dad's volvo (apparently built by Swedish gnomes)

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Så, var vi hen i Kattagat Centeret idag sammen med de gamle og Snoosen. Det var det sædvænlig ballade med de to, brok, brok, brok, hele tiden, men til sidst kom vi der hen (og efter jeg var på tønden ved to tank stationer). På trods af min dårlig mave så var det alligevel meget interessant and jeg havde det sjøvt. Jeg var helt vildt med hajerne, men jeg kunne også godt lide det hele. Egentligt kunne jeg godt havde arbejdet såden en sted Da jeg var teenager havde jeg lyst til at vær hav biolog, men den drøm gik i stå hen ad vejen.

Freja var i sit es. Hun styrtet frem og tilbage og havde det meget sjovt. Hun var hen ved de flest akvaria og kiggede på alle de sjovt fiske. Hun syntes åbenbart at de var alle sjovt nok og gjort ikke det helt stor forskel mellem de små farverigt eller de stor hajer. Egentligt var hun alle helst glad for at rende rundt og grine at vi andre skulle løb for at være med. Stedet var fyldt med mennesker (klart nok på en søndag) og ikke særligt stor på trods af det ver ret meget at se på.

Bagefter var vi hen ved de gammel for at spise aftensmad og så hjemme ad. Det var sjøvt, men jeg er glad for at være hjem igen nu. Jeg fik en torpedo'agtig hunde snude i skridetet af Plyk og jeg kan mærke det endnu, men jeg kan godt lide den hunde. Han kræver meget men er meget venligt. Freja kan også godt lide ham, men er lidt nervøs på grund af hans eksplosivt energi som kan gør ondt. Hun fik også en snude i hovedet så hun røg bag over på et tidspunk.

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