Travels with Martina Day 8 Part 1 - Paris for Kids at the Parc Zoologique and the Aquarium Tropical

A trip to the zoo may not be on a tourist's "must visit" list but if you have an 8 year old in tow, it is definitely part of the agenda.  Martina loves animals and insists on visiting a zoo or an aquarium when she travels.  In this case, we were lucky have done  both and on the same day too. 

There are many ways to get to the Paris Zoo but via subway to Porte Doree station in the 

12th arrondissement was the most convenient for us.  From our apartment in the 3rd, it took
us 12 minutes to get to Porte Doree.  And even better, from the subway exit, the Zoo was
just a 600 meter walk away.

We walked alongside the broad Avenue Daumesnil.  The area seemed both commercial and residential with a lot of apartments and small neighbourhood cafes and grocery stores.  

The photo above is of the Square Des Anciens Combattants d'Indochine -- which pays 

tribute to  the French who died during the Indochina War.  

There are fountains of different levels which are barely visible in this photo and the square is 

bordered by palm trees -- because you know, Southeast Asia, right?

We walk a little further on and saw this statue which Martina wanted to have a photo of as she said it 

"looked important". 
Upon further inspection, this is a monument to the controversial expedition up the Nile and into Sudan led by Captain Jean Baptiste Marchand, a French explorer from the late 1800s. 

Two symbols of France's questionable colonial past -- within a few hundred meters of each other!

The way to the Zoo takes us by the edges of Bois de Vincennes -- also known as one of Paris'
"green lungs".  The word bois means woods in English. 

Bois de Vincennes used to be part of a forest and now encompasses over 950 hectares of trees, shrubbery and greenery with lakes for boating, beautiful gardens including the Parc Floral de Paris, an original 14th century chateau, an aquarium, a Museum, Asian gardens, bike and running paths  and of course the Zoo. 

We're finally here! The 600 meter walk from the station took quite a while as we enjoyed seeing 

the sights along the way.  The Parc Zoologique de Paris is set on 15 hectares within the Bois de 

Vincennes. 

No advanced ticket purchase needed and there was just a short line at the ticket office.

Opened in 1934, the Zoo was a much loved and well visited fixture in Paris.  

A giant boulder rising in the middle was its recognisable symbol.  After the 1990s, not much 

was done by way of  maintenance and the Zoo was closed in 2008 for a major renovation.  

It re-opened in 2014 and is one of the most impressive zoos I have ever visited. 

The overall objective of the Parc Zoologique de Paris is not merely to display the various animals 

but to have them live in recreations of their natural habitat.  The Zoo is divided into 5 bio-zones:  Patagonia, Africa,  Amazon-Guyana, Madagascar and Europe. 

We start off at Patagonia as it is nearest the entrance.

It turns out that Patagonia is an ideal introduction to the Zoo as it includes a giant pool where the penguin colony lives and where they swim, splash and generally show off for the adoring crowds.
Today the pool area was crowded with children who were there on a field trip.

We waited on the concrete steps for the crowd to disperse.   Martina couldn't help but laugh at
all of the seals' antics.  

Finally, we got up close enough and made some new friends!

From Patagonia, we crossed a boardwalk into Africa where the terrain is mostly sand, scrub and trees.   With the ongoing canicule or heat wave,  the weather seemed to have been transported from Africa as well. 

When you visit the Zoo,  do look for the white rhinoceros  -- it is the largest of the extant 

rhinoceros species and is extremely endangered.  We managed to catch a glimpse of one -- heartbreaking that there are very few of these animals left.  

Whatever you say about zoos,  they do their share in saving and protecting threatened species.

Feeding time at the Zoo!  Just beside the Africa bio-zone is a park with picnic tables and kiosks selling sandwiches,  snacks, beverages and even ice cream.  We managed to find a well shaded bench where we ate our lunch -- jambon-fromage for the adults and le hotdog for Martina. 

The antelopes are sunbathing  -- I guess the canicule does not affect them so much.

Behind the zebra enclosure the huge boulder,  the longtime symbol of the zoo can be seen -- this
has been  renovated and rebuilt from the original  dating back to 1934. 

We headed off to the Great Aviary, located in the Africa bio-zone where we dodge flying birds and

marvel at the real life pink flamingoes.

We decided to skip the Birds of Prey Aviary -- perhaps the animals had not yet had their lunch and
we did not want to take any chances.  Instead we headed over to the giant Tropical Greenhouse in the  Amazon- French Guyana bio-zone.   

We enjoyed seeing the lizards, the snakes, the strange insects, the monkeys,  the colourful birds 

and yes this gorgeous iguana that seemed to glisten and glow under the heat lamps. 

What a ham!  This South American manatee swam up to us and stayed for a long time -- posing for his photo.  This species lives in the rivers and swamps of the Amazon.  Ola cara! Boa tarde!

The people who run the Zoo are so clever -- to exit, you have to pass through the attractive and irresistible Gift Shop.  There was no avoiding it -- au revoir euros ...  it was nice to have 

known you!

Jay and Martina can never pass up an ice cream stand!  They had soft serve ice cream cones at
Akita Cafe --  a small snack shop lying in wait outside the Zoo.   It sits at the edge of the Bois de
Vincennes and has a seating area in the back that looks out into the park. 

Halfway between the Zoo and the subway station is the Palais de la Porte Doree. 
If you like art deco, you should definitely visit this astonishing example of this architectural style.
The incredible bas relief fresco that adorns the facade showcases the vast riches of France's colonies, a tribute to the powerful French Empire.  

Opened in 1931 for the International Exposition, the Palais was the home of the Museum of the Colonies.  In addition, it included a Tropical Aquarium, which still is in existence today and which was the reason for our visit.

The Museum of the Colonies has been renamed as the  more politically correct Musee National 
de L' Histoire de L' Immigration.  To enter either the Museum or the Aquarium (or both)
tickets are sold in the imposing lobby.  From the looks of the beautiful floor tiles, I presume they
were part of the original design.

The Tropical Aquarium occupies several levels and large tanks are recessed into the walls.  

Each tank contains organisms - fish, mollusks, corals, etc that have common characteristics and thus are able to share an environment.  I am fascinated by the amazing  plants and corals -- more than 

I am with the fish. 

The Aquarium is as old as the Palais.  After an overdue major renovation in 1984, there are now 

90 spacious tanks with over 15,000 different organisms.  

The habitats mimic those from the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean as well 

as  environments from rivers, lakes, swamps, brackish water and mangroves.  It is an amazing display of richness and diversity. 

The living, breathing corals are amazing.  There are fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark species.

I am awe struck at the displays -- but also realise that many of these environments are under threat of destruction.

The Tropical Aquarium is very different from the other aquariums that Martina and I have been to -- where the focus was more on the fish and not so much on the habitat.  

Beside each tank is a plaque that explains the habitat, lists down the organisms you are seeing -- in both French and English. 

There are over 270 species of fish  but I am more enthralled by the corals and the vegetation.  

What an extraordinary world there is underwater -- and yet we are perilously close to losing it all.

The Tropical Aquarium is built on two levels in the middle of which is a fresh water enclosure

where there are three species of alligators.  They can be viewed from above and iron bars are in 

place so that no one falls in.

The pair of albino alligators seemed very peaceful -- sleeping side by side.  They did not even 

twitch the whole time we were observing them. 

The Aquarium closes at 5:30 and as we hurried out,  we said our au revoirs to this huge catfish 

who gazed calmly at everyone who passed by his tank. 

A bientot  M. Catfish!  See you at the next dive!

Traveling with Kids Tip #8

When planning for kid friendly activities, the easy choices are arcades and theme parks.  

But they weren't always around -- in simpler times, a zoo was an obvious first choice.  

And it still should be today.  

Introduce children to nature and conservation in ways that will both educate and entertain.

There are state-of-the-art, preservation and conservation minded zoos and aquariums in many 

cities around the world. 

Please stay out of the arcade  -- after all, there are so many of those back home.