Monday we toured the Aquarium. Supposedly, it is the largest aquarium in the world, and it is home to whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea. The whale shark tank was quite impressive. Note the size of the adult male in the lower left hand corner of this picture to appreciate the size of these fish!!
The boys were most impressed with the exhibits which allowed us to pet animals. We got to touch sting rays, bonnethead sharks, sea urchins, sea stars, horseshoe crabs, and shrimp. The sting rays and sharks were the favorites. I was surprised by how slimy and soft they felt. The timing of our aquarium visit was perfect because we used Jeannie Fulbright's Swimming Creatures book for science this year, so it was great to see many of the creatures we had read about and studied!
Tuesday night Mom and I treated ourselves to a nice dinner at Pitty Pat's Porch. They are known for their southern cuisine, and while we found the food to be so-so, the Gone With the Wind atmosphere was quite charming. At Pitty Pat's, beverages are served in iced chalices, the menus have handles like fans, and collard greens and black eyed peas are served as relishes at the table. My baby back ribs were slathered in Jack Daniel's bbq sauce and served with candied sweet potatoes.
Wednesday we toured the Coca Cola museum. Did you know that Coke began in Atlanta?? We saw how Coke is bottled, toured an extensive memorabilia collection, and hit the sampling room, where there were self serve fountain drink stations for each continent, and we could wander around with our dixie cups sampling beverages from various countries. I'm not a soda drinker, so I skipped the flavored cokes, but I found a peach tea from France that I really liked. Emma and I had our photo made with the Coke polar bear, but I don't have a copy on my own camera, so I'll have to wait to post that one later. Emma loved the bear and reached out to pet his chin. :) This is Hannah and I with several large Coke bottles from around the world.
Hannah and her team did very well at their competition, and are fortunate to be taking home some hard earned medals. I am attached to these kids. I know them well and love them dearly. It has been an honor to be here to encourage them, and it is rewarding to see them succeed.
Today we walked down to Olympic Park and let the boys play in the fountains. The day was hot and steamy, and we got caught in a rain shower on our way back to the hotel. We took cover in an alcove of a huge building. Some good friends were with us, and we laughed our way through the drizzle and puddles and gray skies. Memories in the making.
Tomorrow we will bid farewell to Atlanta and head to Macon to visit with friends. Our hotel room has become home, and as we unpacked and settled in throughout the week, our "stuff" expanded and now blankets the entire suite. It will be a big job to contain it all again and to load it compactly back into the van. It is too big of a job for tonight, so for now, I will settle in by the windows of our skyscraper hotel and enjoy some firework displays. Happy Fourth of July!!!
1 comment:
Nationals was soooo fun! I didn't realize Atlanta had such cool things to do. When I was there all I knew was the Hotel, Pool, and Food Court next door. =)
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