Saturday 9 March 2013

Oh mamma, I wanna go swimming!

We've been all under the (crap) weather at home, so some blog silence ensued. First it was Bibu and me with flu, and last week baby Pingu got croup first and then a bout of conjunctivitis. Fun............it was not. Anyway, the spring is slowly rearing its pretty head and with the sunny days coming along, I started thinking about sports.

A while ago, when Bibu turned 4, I started thinking which"organised" sport should he start with and I instinctively steared towards swimming. His school is quite close to Watermael-Boitsfort's communal swimming pool Calypso 2000, which is part of the Trois Tileuls/ Drie Linden sport complex (where you can also play tennis, basketball, rugby and fencing) so there we went.

The entrance looks like this:


Yes! There is a parking! Yee-ha!

Swimming lessons for kids are held mostly in the "Petit Bassin" (small pool), which is in a rather ancient buidling behind the main building. The swimming pool at the Petit Bassin is about 1 mt deep, so perfect for small swimmers. The water is also warmer than in the main building. The dressing rooms are a bit ancient as well, but overall clean and warm (quite important during winter months)

The cost for each level  (10 lessons, 1 time per week) is 50 EUR. Children can start as of 4 years old and there are classes every day of the week, except Sundays. Of course, Wednesdays and Saturdays fill up quickly, so bear that in mind. Every 10 weeks, a new cycle starts, so ask when is the next one starting.

In addition to the swimming lesson at the Petit Bassin, if what you want is just go for a swim with your kid, the main building (the one you see on the photo above) houses an olympic size swimming pool and two small pools for kids: one for babies (water up to a toddler's knee and very warm) and one slightly deeper for kids of up to 5 years old. Prices to access the main building start at 1.2 EUR for children up to 4 years and 2.9 for adults who live in Watermael Boitsfort.





Also in the main building, there is a course for babies (bébé nageur) on Sunday mornings. This I did not try it myself yet, but will maybe take Pingu.

And now, the "piece the resistance" of Calypso 2000 and something that amuses me no end. Just by the reception of the main building, next to the cafe entrance, there is a vending machine for........... swimsuits! Yes, imagine that you've suddenly decided to pop into the pool but, oh, no! you've forgotten your trunks! No problem, just put a few coins (or your banking card, even better) into this bad boy and you can get adult and kid-size trunks or swimsuits, googles and even silicone hats. My hat to that!




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