Today I went on a bus to Martigues. I fancied a swim, and had been told there was a pool there. After negotiating another bus, (using a map to point out where I wanted to get off to the driver) I made it to the right town. I was just struggling to remember what the French for swimming pool was (last French lesson circa 1977) when I saw a sign saying 'Piscine'. Hooray!
I was very pleasantly surprised that a swim costs only 1.5 Euros - REALLY cheap. My local pool in Surrey costs £4.45. Not only was it cheap, it was spotlessly clean, and had good quality facilities. The staff were very helpful, the woman on the cash desk actually walked me round the changing rooms to show me where everything was. The only draw back was that I had to wear a 'bonnet du bain' (I think that's what it was). I haven't worn a swimming cap since before my last French lesson, in the days when they had chin straps and the height of fashion was to have big, floppy daisies on them. The cash desk person helped me out again by lending me one. I didn't have the knack of putting it on, so I would be half way down the pool, and feel a strange pulling and sliding sensation over my skull as the 'bonnet' worked its way into a peak and threatened to pop off. I tried to master breast-stroke with one hand on my head, but that is quite tricky. It's also quite tricky pulling a rubber cap back on while treading water. Apart from all that I had a very nice swim. On the way back, I got too close to the bus driver while trying to work out which coins he needed, and my ski jacket, which is adorned with a huge number of velcro patches, stuck to the driver. We exchanged Gallic rolling eye expressions as he tried to pick me off his jumper.
To warm up while waiting for the bus back, I wandered round the local library. Again, it was a facility that put any of ours to shame. It was a magnificent, modern building, with a piano to play, room after room of books, machines dispensing coffee (nice coffee too) and lots of people waiting to help.
So I am impressed with France, especially as the buses run on time too, and are warm!
I was very pleasantly surprised that a swim costs only 1.5 Euros - REALLY cheap. My local pool in Surrey costs £4.45. Not only was it cheap, it was spotlessly clean, and had good quality facilities. The staff were very helpful, the woman on the cash desk actually walked me round the changing rooms to show me where everything was. The only draw back was that I had to wear a 'bonnet du bain' (I think that's what it was). I haven't worn a swimming cap since before my last French lesson, in the days when they had chin straps and the height of fashion was to have big, floppy daisies on them. The cash desk person helped me out again by lending me one. I didn't have the knack of putting it on, so I would be half way down the pool, and feel a strange pulling and sliding sensation over my skull as the 'bonnet' worked its way into a peak and threatened to pop off. I tried to master breast-stroke with one hand on my head, but that is quite tricky. It's also quite tricky pulling a rubber cap back on while treading water. Apart from all that I had a very nice swim. On the way back, I got too close to the bus driver while trying to work out which coins he needed, and my ski jacket, which is adorned with a huge number of velcro patches, stuck to the driver. We exchanged Gallic rolling eye expressions as he tried to pick me off his jumper.
To warm up while waiting for the bus back, I wandered round the local library. Again, it was a facility that put any of ours to shame. It was a magnificent, modern building, with a piano to play, room after room of books, machines dispensing coffee (nice coffee too) and lots of people waiting to help.
So I am impressed with France, especially as the buses run on time too, and are warm!
The rather nicely named 'Birds' Mirror'.
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