A Day in Baltimore

So completely out of the blue I ended up in Baltimore this weekend and though I've heard mixed things about other parts of it, I do like the inner harbour a lot.



The plan had been for Martha and I to go to the National Aquarium in DC, but plans changed dramatically on the day and we decided to visit the one in Baltimore (of which I had heard several good reports) instead.



As we drove into the inner harbour on a gloriously sunny day I was struck by the weird mix of old, new, glass, brick and concrete buildings, by far the best and most unusual though is the converted factory that now houses a Hard Rock Cafe, Espn Zone and Barnes and Noble.



With tickets purchased for a later visit to the aquarium (it was seriously packed with visitors) we wandered around the harbour enjoying the sound of the sea and the warmth of the sun.



Seeing the USS Constellation and knowing my mother's passion for them I could not avoid taking at least one good shot of this fine old ship.













As you enter the aquarium one of the first sights you see are an enormous set of teeth - big enough to make Jaws look like bait fish and to make you seriously consider never swimming in the ocean again. Fortunately these belong to a long extinct variety of shark.



Rather than bore you with a long list of everything we saw, I thought I'd just provide some of my favourite shots from the visit and say that the rays and sharks are awesome as are the poison tree frogs and that it includes almost every form of sea life you can hope for (though either they did not have a great deal of crustaceans or I missed them). As usual a full selection of my photos can be found here.







































Leaving the tour we wondered along Harbour Place and discovered the small amphitheatre behind which were a series of sand sculptures by local school children. We liked the Camera best and therefore I include it here. The amphitheatre itself was crowded and a band was playing classic songs to the appreciative spectators. Unfortunately I missed the moment when a small child attempted to removed the tips bucket in the middle of the song 'Fever' and the singer emphasised the line '...don't you dare.' On the plus side though you are spared the 'dancing' moments of a few people who had perhaps had one too many.





Props and thanks to Martha for the suggestion of this impromptu trip - it was a great day.