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TRAVELLER
As of this year, there are 17 other open-air bathing areas
that have sprung up in its wake, fromparkland-set pools and
shady urban oases, to lakeside beaches complete with giant
slides and diving towers.
Bathers can choose froma number of pleasant watery
options. Schanzengraben (
badi-info.ch
) – the Frauenbad’s
mono-gendered counterpart – is the guys’ version of the
19th-century lido, its leafy tranquillity cocooning visitors
fromthe hustle of the financial district. Mythenquai’s 250m
beach (
badi-info.ch
), Zürich’s only sandy stretch, has sports
fields, barbecue areas and sweeping sunbathing lawns.
Then there are themanicured suburban grounds of open-air
pool complex FreibadAllenmoos (
badi-info.ch
), with its
in-pool fountains and cute art deco pavilion, and the large,
landscaped gardens of Tiefenbrunnen (
badi-info.ch
), a gift
to families with its trampoline and 62mwater slide. Utoquai
(
badi-info.ch
), an elegant collection of pools, pontoons and
sunbathing decks in the affluent central suburb of Seefeld,
catches the last of the day’s rays, making it the hot choice of
thewell-heeled after-office set; while cute, compact Seebad
Enge (
tonttu.ch
), on the lake’s opposite shore, buzzes at
weekends with friends grabbing freshMediterranean fare
fromthe grill, swimming out to floating platforms, or gazing
(as they sun themselves) at the snow-cappedAlps 50kmaway.
It’s not just their physical charms that set the lidos apart;
over the years, each has developed a personality. Some
have a Zen feel, offering outdoor yoga and various styles of
massage; while others, likeMythenquai, are well known for
mass Speedo-clad aerobic gatherings. Many have saunas,
Jacuzzis or small libraries, and Utoquai and Enge cater for
thrill-seekers by hiring out stand-up paddleboards; the latter
even organises night-time outings during full moons.
Themost radical development, however, came 14 years
ago, when promoter Marc Blickenstorfer – widely known
as Zürich’sMr Nightlife – persuaded the city council to
Centre, left and right,
by day it’s bathing pool Oberer Letten; by night, it’s
Bar Rimini;
above
, a bather takes a dip in the lake