"Mir gäb es keine grösre Pein, Wär ich im Paradies allein" - When Goethe put his famous sentence on paper, it surely recalled the fresh, frank and completely textile-free swimming trips with friends.
The Frankfurt boy preferred to hop into lakes with male companions. Although in Goethe's day, public bathing was mostly on and in the Main River. Yes, our poet liked to splash around undressed in violation of the rules, which was already considered a provocation in the 18th century. But in general, most Frankfurters rebelliously unconcerned themselves with their trousers.
How do I know this? From the wonderful, readable book "Baden unter Palmen" - vom Wasserturnen zum Aquajogging, published by the health department in 2014.
Yes, those who bravely read along here regularly can learn a lot. Most notably, that unlike Goethe, I have little left for the cool stuff. I can keep my head above water. So you can imagine how much my sudden idea of a chill day at the lake surprised me this morning. Splashing. Swimming. Splashing. Diving - you have some idea now, yes?
Does June and July have that effect on you too? For me, I just need the sun to shine long enough, the sky to be bright blue just long enough - I'm drawn to swim. To the lake. Or rather to the open-air swimming pools? So nice to cool down and refresh.
Lake or bath?
Bathing in the lake or swimming in the open-air pool - there the spirits divide, as it seems to me. While some enthusiastically rush into the lakes, others swear by koppers into the tiled pool. I like: both. But for me, the <link https: frankfurt.de sixcms _blank>Brentanobad is at the top of the list of open-air swimming pools, but strictly speaking it is almost a beautiful lake. Even though the bath had to be renovated some time ago and I miss the darker tiles and the even more sloping pool edge. It's a bit more "normal" now than before. This beautiful, huge bath was created from a Flussbad in Rödelheim, but unfortunately - like so many others - it is perdu. *sigh*
Because that's a very exciting phenomenon in Frankfurt: The development of open-air swimming pools from former bathing beaches like in Eschersheim, where the wide slide and a bridge still testify.
But I have to do without the Brentanobad since we have a dog. Dogs are not allowed in Frankfurt open-air swimming pools. However, a <link https: www.youtube.com _blank>paar baths please the dog owners at the end of the bathing season and open their gates for the four-legged - such as the Silobad. There it is called ears and eyes open for the announcement.
Not better it looks for dog owners unfortunately at all lakes in the closer environment. Only in the small <link https: www.ffh.de nachrichten magazin tocontroller topic toaction show toid totopic badestraende-fuer-hunde.html _blank>town of Flörsheim am Main can you find a modest dog beach, which I'll give a try.
So now that you know that the Brentanobad in Rödelheim is my favorite outdoor pool and the <link https: www.frankfurt-tipp.de insidefrankfurt s shopping ist-das-der-perfekte-sommer-rekordversuch-und-pokalfinale.html _blank>Schwedlersee, my favorite location to relax, I'd like to know what you prefer: lake or outdoor pool? And what are your favorites this summer?