After a thrilling concert last night, we had free time for the majority of the day today to rest and be tourists, so I headed back to Lotte World Mall and Tower with Amelia and a small group to see more of it and do some shopping! We started with the aquarium, and it was frankly shocking how impressive it was despite being in a shopping mall. They house lots of different exhibits themed around different habitats of the world, and highlights included penguins, sharks, and even a beluga whale named Bella. This is only the second time I’ve ever seen belugas in person, with the first being at the Georgia Aquarium years ago. However, when I was researching the aquarium, I found out that the Lotte World Aquarium encountered some controversy with their beluga whale. The tank looked too small for Bella, but until 2016, they had three beluga whales in the same tank! In 2016 one of her tank-mates passed unexpectedly and the other passed in 2019, so for the last 6 years, Bella has lived isolated other than contact with aquarium employees. Beluga whales are extremely social creatures, and environmental activists have been trying for years to get Bella relocated to a wildlife sanctuary where she can interact with more whales and have more room to roam. Hopefully Bella can be moved to a healthier environment soon, as seeing her in person was impressive but not worth the circumstances of captivity.
After we finished touring the aquarium, we got chicken sandwiches and fries at fast-food restaurant called Lotteria (also owned by Lotte) before heading to see Lotte World Tower’s observation deck! As I mentioned yesterday it’s the 6th-tallest building in the world, and the elevator climbs 117 floors to the observation deck in about a minute’s time. Floors 117-123 comprise the observation area, and there were even see-through glass platforms to stand on along with open-air terraces! The views were breathtaking despite some fog, and I even got coffee in a cafe on floor 121.
We headed back to the hotel after this to depart as a group for our first combined rehearsal with the orchestra for the Bruckner and Haydn. The rehearsal ran from 6:30-10:00, and while it was absolutely exhausting, it was thrilling to hear the pieces with the full orchestra for the first time. Despite heavy demands on our vocal stamina over the last few days the choir sounds energized and fantastic, and I’m excited to perform Thursday evening after one more dress rehearsal Wednesday night. Thank you for reading!
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