But so I went to the swimming pool today for the first time here in France, to "practice" the ankle. Now I know from England, and even Denmark and other places that swimming pools are different than back in Iceland, but...this was not just a cultural difference but a huge difference in comfort.
So I started by paying, I suppose that's one thing you can be sure to do first most places in the world...and then there a door on the right said "individual changing rooms" (in French of course). So I asked the lady if that's where I should go, which it was.
As soon as I enter though, the first thing I see is a quite so naked man only wearing swim trucks.
I look around me but can’t find any sign that seems to separate male from female changing rooms. I look at the door to see if it says anything about gender, but it doesn’t. Because you see in Iceland, and come on, even in England and Denmark and I believe all other places I know, there are separate changing rooms for men and women.
A man working there then spotted me and asked whether I knew this place/system - realizing that it must have been quite obvious that I didn’t. He explained it, me getting most of it but not quite all of it being in French.
So I took my shoes off and went into an “individual” changing room with my things. There I put my bikini and stuff on…
I was so relieved I had brought an extra euro for the locker…but the annoying thing was that I was wearing my bathing clothes, while carrying the towel, the goggles (because they didn’t stick onto my head while my hair was dry), my shoes, my jacket, and my backpack with all the clothes, plus the 1€ to put in the locker.
In Iceland you just have lockers where you change clothes anyway, that way you won’t have to transport any of it before or afterwards…
I went into the showers, that by the way were burning hot, hanging my towel on a hook on the wall. However, I had left my shampoo in the locker with all my stuff.
I noticed people weren’t really showering all that well. They just rinsed - barely. In Iceland we take full showers (except hair) stock naked before going into the pool. No one will stare, however you’re much more likely to get frowned looks if you leave your swim stuff on while showering. So basically this awfully simple “spray of water” on the body wasn’t exactly what I’m used to.
Then I brought my towel into the pool area and put it on a bench where I saw all other towels were. I found a lane with only two women and started swimming. However, and I believe most other people in the pool did that too, use right traffic! Swim on the right to go forward. Go back on the other side of the line at the bottom of the pool.
But nooo, these women were talking while swimming, so naturally they could not swim behind each other, and took up both the lanes. This was so even when they saw that I was about to get going in the opposite direction. Only once I had actually kicked off the wall did one of them start slowing down to get behind the other.
Oh, and another thing that bothered the hell out of me was that when I was literally just about to finish my round, someone from another lane who was getting out of the water, got in front of me to get to the stairs. This happened at least twice.
In Iceland it’s the damn people who want to cross the lanes that yield to the people who are in the process of swimming. Because maybe the swimmers are timing it, or whatever. But either way, the other people who are just getting out of the water can wait until I have at least arrived to the wall or even started swimming again. But no, here instead they just went right in front of me, forcing me to stop in the middle of the water! In Iceland that’s what we call rude!!
So I managed to swim 100m crawl and 400m breaststroke and afterwards thought I’d spend some time in the “children’s pool”. 1) Because hardly anyone was there anyway. 2) It was a bit hotter than the swimming pool, just like back at home. At first I thought “aaah, nice and warm”, but already after 2 minutes or so, I was trembling of cold. I looked around for a sauna but none. We’re not Finish in terms of loving saunas back home, but nonetheless every pool as one.
So basically there was nowhere I could warm my muscles or relax afterwards. Eventually I decided to do it in the burning hot showers.
Back in the showers, people had shampoo to wash their hair but firstly, I couldn’t be bothered to go all dripping wet to my locker, then dig up the shampoo, and re-lock. Secondly, if I can’t shower completely (intimate parts) then what’s the point of showering my hair? So basically I decided to take another shower when I got home and only stayed in the showers to get hot again.
I only found out later how some people do: bring the towel andthe shampoo into the pool area. That way you don’t have to go back to the lockers to fetch it. But honestly, I’d still prefer to just go home.
So I got out of the showers, dried myself, then went still quite damn wet to my locker. Having the towel around me, taking out the bag, the jacket, the shoes, the 1€…finding an empty locker.
Then in the locker your bathing stuff is still dripping wet - and I couldn’t even twist it because there was no drain thing in the floor where the water could run.
In Iceland you both rinse your swimming clothes and twist them before going back to the changing area (since you only share showers with the same sex you can, and are required to take it off before entering the changing area). Here I could do neither… And entering the changing area there were no matts or towels to dry off the feet like back home…so not only did my feet make the whole changing room wet, but even my dripping bikini. Great.
Try to get dressed in a semi wet dressing room. For your own sake don’t put your socks on until you’re ready to put your shoes on once you get out of the changing room. Mirrors and hair dryers only available after the shoe line (the area where you can put your shoes back on).
I’m used to combing and drying my hair, others are used to putting their make-up back on, in front of a mirror, in the actual changing area, semi naked.
Then I went home. Took a shower. And will preferably not return there.
God I miss the Icelandic pools…
So it wasn’t just about how (not) clean people were when getting into the showers, but also about what kind of very simple facility (like a towel on the floor, drains!) they have to make things easier, and the damn courtesy of those swimmers! Oh, and something hot for afterwards.
It seems here people go to the pools only to exercise. Back home we got to relax! To gossip! After a long day at work, at 9pm! Here they were open one and a half hours during lunch…
Even in the changing/shower rooms you relax! You take your time to get dressed, put on body lotion, comb your hair and put make-up on. Even after closing the pools, they leave you half an hour just to get dressed and out. Here I think it was closing time and everyone was already out…and yet it’s only open one and a half hours?! I usually spend one and half ours in the water! But then again, in hot water…
Well that was my traumatizing experience.
Now I’m off because I have insane work this week.
À toute!