Hi my name is Star and I have been lucky enough to call Gran Alacant my home for over 11 years now. My 9 year old daughter Ashlee and I are often “Out & About” enjoying the local attractions and culture in this part of Spain. Over the next few months I will be sharing some of our experiences with you to encourage you to go “Out & About” yourselves and maybe learn a little bit about this beautiful place we call home.
Summer is almost upon us but before suncream, sand and water parks are the order of the day we wanted to continue sharing our experiences from a very wet and windy Easter break in Valencia starting with the Science Museum. If you read last months article you will remember that the Harry Potter Exhibition is being held in the Science Museum so whilst we were there we paid the small entrance fee and enjoyed some of the many interactive activities.
On the first floor we entered an area that was filled with colourful giant sized props that are themed around children’s story books. Ashlee thoroughly enjoyed learning about perspective by walking through a room that made her shrink and grow, seeing bed bugs by looking through one of the many mattresses that the Princess sat upon and controlling a wooden pinocchio using hers arms and legs. Ashlee also went to the kids play area where she enjoyed working in construction and building a house.
On the next level we learnt about the human body, Ashlee was amazed to see how long our intestines are by pulling a tube out of a belly button, seeing an enlargement of her fingerprint, trying to recognising smells and changing her image via an adjustable mirror.
The majority of the displays are described in Spanish, Valencian and English and there are also a number of different scientific workshops and experiences that you can participate in but it’s best to book these in advance via the Museum website or when you purchase your tickets.
The BioParc Zoo has been on our Valencian wish list for a while so despite the atrocious weather we still decided to pay it a visit. Fortunately there was a bus that stopped near our hotel and dropped us off a short walk from the Zoo. At the entrance there is a massive elaborate sculpture of an Elephant and once inside we crossed a large bridge and made our way into the unique African themed enclosures. In the African Savannah we saw Zebras, Elephants, Warthogs, Gazelles, Hyenas, Giraffes, Lions, Pythons, Rhinos, Meerkats and numerous different birds. In Equatorial Africa we saw Buffalo, Chameleons, Chimpanzees, Dwarf Crocodiles, Leopards, Hippos and an amazing Gorilla, who unlike some of the other animals seemed to enjoy being in the rain.
In Madagascar there were Flamingos, Pelicans and a special immersive enclosure that had many different species of Lemurs that we could get really close to, under the watchful eye of the keepers who are there to ensure the safety of the animals and provide information about them. In the African Wetlands there was a Nile Crocodile, Poisonous Frogs and an African Spoonbill. Usually there is a bird and mammal exhibition that takes place once or twice a day, however, due to the weather when we visited it was cancelled.
It is also possible to see animals being fed at various times throughout the day, participate in guided visits to the different areas and watch two different documentaries in the movie theatre. The whole zoo has been well designed with shaded seating areas, a restaurant and a couple of gift shops.
This was our third trip to Valencia and we also took the opportunity to revisit one of our favourite spots, the Oceanografic which is the largest Aquarium in Europe. You can read more about it at the Gran Alacant Advertiser website as well as all the other places that we have explored over the last few years. Ashlee and I want to encourage others to visit some of the amazing sights that this part of Spain has to offer.
Until next time
Star and Ashlee xxx
