I was like "YES." as soon as I read the title. I did read the rest of it, mind, but I'm still a resounding yes on that question.
One of my pet peeves with Bucharest is that there's no place to naturally swim. No lake and certainly no sea. Like you, I'm not a fan of pools. Not when you could have the real thing, you know? I do find they're better for organized rigorous lap-swimming, though.
It was full of old ladies that could swim faster than me, making me feel like an old lady too.
If you're old, I'm old too, 'cause I used to feel just the same. Mind you, I had been inducted (sort of) into the clique of friendly old guys at my local pool when I went. Honestly, I figure as long as you're still craving the uncertainty and independence of the waves instead of the stillness of the swimming pool, you ain't old.
Oh yes, it's the wild life for me. I'd rather die in the wild ocean than do eternal boring laps.