Sharks, Eels And Sea Horses
'Welcome to the biggest Oceanarium in Poland!' reads the flyer of Cracow's much-hyped new aquatic wonderworld. Dominating the flyer are pictures of three very different characters - tempters as to what's in store. The first is a Great White Shark, and, as is customary with portrayals of this splendid animal, Mr Great White is not shown winking at the camera, rather, we are presented with a hair-raising close-up of the fellow, teeth bared, about to chomp on some unfortunate passer by. It's the classic Jaws shot.
The second picture is of a very unsavoury looking electric eel. This slippery chap is peering out from underneath a rock with a distinctly beady look in his eye (the graphic designer has gone to great pains to accentuate this beady quality - giving the eye a completely new colour to enhance the effect). This strikes Cracow Life as a little unfair - for all we know, good old Eddie the Eel is just quietly minding his own business, mulling over a little abstract philosophy. But along comes the graphics wizz, and with a clever dash of light here and a spot of dark there, poor old Eddie is transformed into a monster - now there is no doubt about his intention - the first innocent fish to come by will be frazzled in biblical style.
The final picture is of that butterfly of the underwater kingdom - the prancing sea horse. So, all in all, what can kiddies expect from a trip to the Oceanarium? In short, thrills and spills of the highest order - a hair-raising encounter with the terrors of the deep.
At this stage we should point out that not one of the above animals is present at the aquarium - the graphic designer was using a bit of artistic license in his spin for the show.
Flagrant misleading of the public one might claim! Think of all the crestfallen children who, having arrived at the show (expecting to see one of the great marvels of nature) discover that the shark on display is smaller and less fierce-looking than their pet dachsund.
But of course, one should not be too hard on the goodly graphic designer. After all, it's not often that one gets the chance to explore the mysterious kingdom of the deep. Perhaps the gallant young fellow had just finished doing a cut-price promotional flyer for cartons of orange juice. Who could resist the the temptation to play the Great White card?
But anyway, we're getting away from the point here. And before everyone goes to sleep - let's stress that the Oceanarium is actually a pretty fine day out for kids, even minus the Great White. If the truth be told, no Great White has ever been successfully kept in captivity, and the chances of one turning up in the aquarium of Cracow's nineteenth century natural history museum are slim.
Nevertheless, there's plenty to capture the imagination of young terrors here. The aquarium is located in an expansive wing of the museum, and it's been done up like a stage-set from Captain Nemo, with a dash of James Bond's Moonraker thrown in - always a good mixture. In the main grotto-like room - a giant octopus spirals down from the ceiling (thankfully not a real one in this case). There is an eel of sorts, not to mention a panoply of iridescent fishes from the deep. The sharks may be tiny, but there is no doubting their grace and beauty. Indeed, all things considered, the Oceanarium offers a captivating glimpse into the kingdom of the deep. Cracow Life couldn't help feeling sorry for many of the animals, who arguably would have preferred to be swimming the wide open seas. However, as non-vegetarians, we can't really masquerade as saints in this respect - perhaps its time for a rethink.