Neither am I

We begin one of our last student excursions surrounded by 3 million gallons of water and 12,000 types of sea life from all over the world. The La Rochelle Aquarium is one of the biggest in France, and is so impressive that it provokes us to silence, leaving only the bubbling sound of running water.

 Well placed lighting shine through the water creates an underwater ambience as we observe, starfish, sea shrimp, crabs, and many other animals.

               They're nature’s aquatic miracles from waters we may never swim in. 

However, from the depths of my stomach comes a growl. All these breathtaking and beautiful aquatic lifeforms are making me hungry. I skipped breakfast and being surrounded by 12,000 potential meals is only making things worse. In the hungriest part of the morning I consider reaching in for small salmon or two. 

11,998 animals is still a lot.

My picnic lunch cries out from my bag like an infant in dire need of a mother’s love, but our guides insist that we go into the city before breaking for lunch. There is no end to this famine.
As we’re walking an intricate display of chocolates catches our stomachs.

“Wow! Look at them! They’re so pretty!” says Kamila until she saw the price. “80€?! I’m not that hungry!”

Neither am I.

Finally, we sit to eat in the open square next to the carousel. There are few words passed as we devour long awaited lunches, and within minutes the seemingly timeless hunger is no more. Stuffed like pigs we are ready to continue our adventure through the city, which is quite beautiful. Cafes, bars, and restaurants line the harbor filled with boats and birds. 

The main attractions are three towers; Tour de la Chaine, Tour De la Lanterne, and Tour St. Nicolas, and our tour includes exploring them. 

We soon discovered while climbing the Tour de la Lanterne 5 floors that eating a lot of food wasn’t such a good idea. Every step was a sluggish reminder of how much we had stuffed our faces. However, the view of the city and harbor from the top made the walking worth it. We were able to make to a second tower, which showed us the entire harbour equipped with lively restaurants and bars.

“Do you want to go to the third one?” asks one our tour guides.

“Actually......I can see it from here....looks good,” I respond


“Let’s go for ice cream!” suggests Kamila.

There are no objections to her suggestion, and as we lounge enjoying ice cream, crepes, coffee, and admittedly, a bit of rest from walking, the sun sets on the harbor, ending another eventful student adventure.