The question I’m asked most frequently when people find out that we are planning our next adventure is, “Are you bringing the kids?” The answer is always YES!

The next questions usually revolve around whether or not the kids enjoy travel and what we do to keep them occupied. Not that they weren’t always “go along” guys, but it’s definitely getting easier as they get older and while they are interested in seeing what each new city has to offer, it helps to allow time for some of the more family friendly attractions.

Most recently after a long hot day exploring fabulous Lisbon we decided that asking the kids to step inside one more church or monument might not be fair, so we decided to surprise them with a trip to the Oceanario de Lisboa, or the Lisbon aquarium. For the most part the monuments in Belem were already closing or would be soon and there was still time to make the Oceanarium.

The aquarium is located in the Parque das Nacoes, a newer more modern part of the city which was built up for the 1998 World Expo. It’s one the largest aquariums in the world and the largest one in Europe. Along with the usual favorites, like sea otters, penguins, sharks, rays and seahorses they also have an Ocean Sunfish which we were pretty excited to see!

Having visited a number of aquariums I was really impressed with the ease in which we were able to go from exhibit to exhibit. Even with limited time we were able to see everything without feeling rushed.

In the end what started out as a break for the kids turned out to be a really lovely experience for all of us!