It has been really beautiful lately here in Mannheim and since I have an unlimited amount of time on my hands I thought it might be fun to check out one of the local swimming pools. I chose the Schwetzingen one as it is the closest and a somewhat smaller community. I usually avoid public pools at all costs as I find them exhausting in more ways than one. To my knowledge they are loud not filthy but not clean places crawling with too many unsupervised children. And as an ex-Aquatics Director I also get very nervous about children drowning in front of me, which plagued me with nightmares for the year I was in that position, so I didn't know how I would feel about going here. It was very interesting.
As you can tell from the photo above it is pretty unsuspecting as that is what you see from the outside...but once inside it should be labeled water park rather than swimming pool. First of all there isn't A swimming pool, there are many indoor and outdoor pools with many features like water slides and diving boards, a sauna, a solarium for those who don't want to be near a pool, a park, several cafes and the list goes on. I first noticed that it was insanely clean which made me comfortable right off the bat as I walked through the locker room. Yep just one unisex room with dressing areas for each gender and showers for each gender. So I breeze through with my bathing suit and cover up on complete with bag of goodies...camera, magazines, book, IPod, etc. and then I head into the indoor area, through one of the cafes until I have reached one of the outdoor pools noticing that people are staring at me the whole way. Then I notice that these folks are only in swim attire with only towels no bags of goodies. Amatures, I am thinking? Nope. They actually use the facility for what it is for...swimming and cannot figure out what I am doing. Clearly I am not there to get wet and I can't go back in looking stupid. So I immediately park it at the first pool I arrive at in one of the many available sun chairs (available because everyone is in the water). I am sure I looked funny...but so did they in their speedos and swimming gear! What this did do was give me opportunity to watch and I did.
It was almost a phenomenon...the children were supervised by their guardians...and the guardians were in the water playing with there own kids. Certainly this is not Byrnes Park where absent parents drop off kids at the opening and pick them up at closing for cheap babysitting. Therefore there are no lifeguards. Simply not needed...its swim at your own risk although they do have a medical area for first aid and what not. And I saw many parents teaching their own kids to swim. Amazing! Now this is a place where I could again be the Aquatics Director as there would never be a staffing problem and a minimal chance of drowning with guardians being right there with the kids. The pools also aren't marked with depth or no diving, etc. signs because again no need! I wasn't even stressed or exhausted when I left. So its official I like German Schwimmenbads.
There was only one photo for obvious reasons...people already thought I was weird so I thought it best not to take photos for fear someone might approach me. So next week when TJ's in the States, you can find me at the Bellamar on nice days!
Auf Wiedersehen!
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