I decided to Den Blå Planet, National Aquarium Denmark after the trip to Frederiksborg Castle. All because I wanted to utilize my 7-days Copenhagen card. There was a lot of debate on whether the Copenhagen card is worthy the visits made given a limited period of time. For me, it helped with the transportation costs and the entrance costs. Coming from Malaysia where public transportation is dirt cheap, public transportation in Denmark goes through the roof for my budget.
Den Blå Planet – Architecture
So why Den Blå Planet? From what I read, it is the largest and most modern aquarium in Northern Europe. The architecture concept of the national aquarium was inspired by whirlpool. Its distinct design makes it possible to view the national aquarium from the sky by passengers flying into and out the nearby Copenhagen International Airport.
To be honest, I had high expectation of Den Blå Planet having seen the S.E.A Aquarium, Singapore. There are five sections in the aquarium with each section representing fish and sea creatures from different climate. The aquarium is equipped with underwater sound, light projection, graphics and interactive exhibits. It projects the water reflection on the ceiling and walls to give the added underwater experience to the visitors.
What I noticed from the Den Bla Planet was the numerous graphic explanations of each sea creature with a noticeable emphasis on coral reefs. Sometimes, the colours looked fake because it is difficult to have a corrected underwater vision.
One of the highlights in the national aquarium is the playful sea otters aquarium. They can be viewed from outdoor viewing area.
Den Blå Planet – Huge Aquarium Tank
Any national aquarium will not be completed without a huge tank where one can view manta rays, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, black-tipped sharks, reef fishes, trevally fishes, and turtles, among others. In front of the huge tank area, pillows and bean bag are provided for you to relax and enjoy the big creatures dancing in the aquarium. It was my favourite part of aquarium. The huge tank connects to the nearby underwater tunnel, which was another highlight of the national aquarium.
Apart from the ocean fishes, there is a section meant for riverine fishes. The piranhas sent the chill down the spine as the piranhas stayed stagnant in the shallow water. They were others like arapaima and fishes I had never heard of before. As the wind blew colder air, I quickly walked for about 15 minutes to the train station to head back to the Steel House.
