I love visiting new cities around the world — places that I haven’t been to, places that I haven’t explored.
Not from a touristy perspective of needing to see the top sights or take selfies in front of notable monuments so that I can post them to Facebook and brag to my friends about my adventures (although admittedly, I do a fair bit of that). I love visiting new cities and pretending, just for a few days, that I live there.
I really enjoy immersing myself in a city, shopping at the local shops, hanging out in the local cafes, and perhaps most importantly swimming in the local swimming pools.
I’m not the world’s greatest swimmer, but I like swimming because it’s a good way of keeping active and fit, and it’s the kind of exercise that doesn’t require a lot of kit — a pair of speedos and some goggles and you’re good to go, easy to accommodate if you’re determined to fly with hand-luggage only.
Your first visit to a new swimming pool always requires a bit of caution and tentative exploration as you try and work out the culture and the administration of the pool. Each country seems to have a distinct swimming pool culture, and each pool might have a few of its own idiosyncrasies.
In this article I thought I’d share of few of my favourite swimming pool experiences from recent travels.
Helsinki
Helsinki is a fascinating city. In 1952 for the Summer Olympics they built a new Olympic stadium and right next door to it a new Olympic swimming pool. It's an outdoor swimming pool (heated luckily) and it's a beautiful complex. You can lie up in the stands and work on your tan, plus they have very good saunas available in the changing rooms. It's a joy to swim there.
Quite a different swimming experience is the old swimming pool in the centre of town where they have gender-segregated swimming times. The reason? It’s a nude swimming pool. It’s not a sexual thing, it’s just how they swim. You get changed, have a shower, go for a swim, sit in the sauna, go for another swim and so on. Incredibly relaxing and strangely liberating.
Luxembourg
The main public swimming pool in the centre of Luxembourg is an enormous complex. The attendants working there are particularly unfriendly, but quite efficient. The complex included a cafe and a gym and some people seemed to be spending the entire day there.
They had a really nice sauna and steam room complex (where you have to be nude obviously — that’s how they roll in most of Europe and Scandinavia), but it was mixed genders. It’s not that I’m prudish, I just personally find that a bit uncomfortable.
Paris
There is a beautiful old pool in the suburbs of Paris called Piscine Herbert. It’s not so much beautiful in the architectural sense, but it has the benefit of a retractable roof — so on a sunny day you can happily swim along while basking in the sunshine streaming down into the water. As an added bonus they also have a large wooden decking area where you work on your tan. The local water polo team trains here and, in true Parisian style, are often out on the deck languidly finishing their cigarettes before jumping into the water.
I love travel and I love swimming. It's my perfect holiday when I can find a way to combine the two.
Oh darn ... I missed checking out that nude swimming pool in Helsinki ... I didn't know they have that. I only did sauna a lot in Finland since it's such a natural part of their culture.
I plan to check out swimming areas in Berlin, I've heard have lots of cool interesting ones there.
I love Berlin, but I've never been swimming there! The Helsinki pool was awesome – I'd love to go there with a group of friends, just hanging out for the day, swimming naked..
Are you traveling anywhere else in Europe?
I noticed you are based out of London, which btw, love that city, it was my 3rd visit to London a week ago.
I try and get away when I can. I think next trip is a drive through Burgundy and then on to Geneva. Have a great time in Berlin – I'm sure you'll have lots of adventures! I'm glad you found the swimming ponds at Hampstead Heath while you were in London – it's the ultimate summer London experience.
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