As the heat keeps on keepin’ on, we have had to continue finding ways to stay cool while also not going crazy from being in a dark apartment cave all the time.
So I decided it was time to take G to the pool.
Back in the States, swimming pools would be packed in this kind of weather! But you would also not be able to stay there all day. (Meaning I wouldn’t. The heat and intense sun do bad things to me, regardless of staying hydrated and slathered in sunscreen.)
That’s because outdoor pools in the States (in my experience) are a kiddie pool, a lap pool, and the fun stuff just all surrounded by tons of concrete that’s baking in the sun and waiting to burn the crap out of your feet when you get out of the water. There’s very little shade. It can be brutal!
So imagine my delight when I walked into the St. Jakob Gardenbad and saw this:
Actually, this is looking back at the entrance area from the main pool area, but you get the idea.
There’s a ton of green space and so many trees! So there’s natural shade!
But they’re not leaving everything up to Mother Nature.
The kiddie pool has a large sun shade over it so that at least part of it is shaded at all times.
Pretty much everything is grass and trees except for walkways and the direct perimeter of the pool (for obvious reasons).
And when I say pool, I really mean pools.
This is the lap pool in the garden part of the schwimmbad.
And this is the fun pool. It has 4 water slides! And a peninsula with little geyser fountains on it!
They have showers at every entrance to the pool. Very smart.
The big pools stay pretty darn clean, considering all the potential for grass and dirt to enter them. The kiddie pool gets quite a bit of grass in it, naturally, but they drain it and refill it pretty frequently, so it doesn’t accumulate.
The first time G and I went to the pool, the kiddie pool water was freezing and I was really surprised, since it’s so shallow. However, when Andy, G, and I went on a Sunday morning, the pool was still being filled. So I don’t know if they refill it every morning (that would be a lot of water), but it’s at least once a week.
There aren’t just pools at the gardenbad, either.
Two beach volleyball courts.
A pretty nice playground with stuff to climb on, a slide, see-saws, swings, and a sandbox. All in the shade!
Side note: It’s really hard to walk around a pool/park and take pictures and not feel like a creep.
G’s admission is free and it’s only CHF 7 for adults to get in. And that’s for all day admission! We haven’t ever stayed that long, though, as G still definitely needs to nap (especially in the heat) and she’s not one of those kids who will nap while out and about.
Up at the front of the schwimmbad they have a sport pool which opens earlier and has swim lanes and diving platforms. I don’t go there with G, though.
We’ve been to St. Jakob three times and I see many more visits between now and when it closes in September. There are other gardenbads (gardenbaden? Google Translate isn’t helping me here… ETA: I think it might be gardenbäder) in Basel, but this one is only two stops away from our apartment on the closest bus line. It’s so close!
I think she’s a fan 🙂
In mid-June we spent 2 1/2 weeks in NC. Durham, Wilmington (beach), Raleigh, back to Durham then to Asheville in the mountains. Temps ranged 97 to 103 F. Even the beach was unbearable. Cannot imagine these temperatures without central air.
Andy has an aunt and uncle in Wilmington and we have friends just outside of Asheville. I was living vicariously through your NC trip!
Air conditioning is one place where the Americans really have the Swiss beat. I can’t even lie; one of my favorite parts of this trip to Paris has been an air conditioned hotel and stores (in Disneyland) with AC.