I took Lynn Sherr's SWIM on my Kindle to Paris to motivate me to hit as many of Paris' community piscines as possible. 'We swam before we walked or breathed, but then we forgot. The same thing happened outside the womb:swimming was practiced regularly in ancient times butvirturally disappeared for centuries'. I've been going to piscine St. Germain for 6 years running. But this time I made it to Pontoise, perhaps the most spectacular pool in Paris. WOWZA Paris has 38 public pools!
They are extrement well run.This online chart that tells you daily which pools are open and their hours. After my Paris bus guide this was my bible. The entrance to St. Germain 12, rue Lobineau 75006 is a hop and a skip away from Patisserie Gerard Mulot.
Every pool has vending machines with cheap caps, bathing suits, goggles, everything but towels and flip flops/les tongs so don't tell me you left your stuff at home.
'Pools used to be called tanks, whether they were actual tanks full of water or just holes in the ground. What you wore in a tank was a tank suit'.
At St.Germain they give you a gizmo to hang your clothes on. You hand it back to the attentant but wear the red rubber bracelet into the pool. Post-swim you hand in the bracelet and get your stuff back. et voila!
St. Germain is huge and very clean!
All of the pools I visited were the same.
I felt like Burt Lancaster swimming my way across Paris' pools.
Be not afraid.
The pools come with crystal clear instructions - les regles
Illustrated charts of dos and DON'TS.
don't you worry 'bout a thing Baby
At piscine Keller in the 15th you get duck instructions.
The entry way at Keller -very orderly.
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| This is piscine Butte au Caille in the 13th. Once famous for using fresh water but someone said this is no longer the case. Still a gorgeously huge and clean pool - altogether a delight. |
The pool attendent noticed my bathing bag.
'Ah...Pierre Herme! the best pastry!'
'But it's $$$' I responded.
'Yes, but it's the BEST!'
Listen to your pool attendent.
They know.
All pools have hair dryers by the way though the changing room systems vary from pool to pool.
The tarifs are low - 3-4 euros a swim.
Better yet get a card for 10 swims.
This summer I'll get the 3 month card and hit as many pools as possible. Anyone can swim. You don't have to be a resident or French.
As I mentioned Gerard Mulot (open at 6:30 am) is just down the block from the pool. Pierre Herme is not so far away either. You can happily 'reward' yourself for a good workout immediately post-swim = Instant gratification.
If you love swimming - (Lynn Sherr notes, it's the best of all exercises and I agree) don't miss her celebratory book, SWIM. It will get you into the water whether in Paris or at home. 'This book is about: an inquiry into why we swim—the lure, the hold, the timeless magic of being in the water. It’s a look at how swimming has changed over the millennia, how this ancient activity is becoming more social than solitary today. It’s about our relationship with the water, with our fishy forebearers, and with the costumes that we wear'.
