What a random title for a blog, BUT if you choose to continue reading you’ll find out why it fits. I started the morning by dropping into a supermarket to pick up some breakfast and lunch, a tub of yogurt, a few beautiful multigrain rolls (the bread in these supermarkets is not the like the home-brands of Coles or Safeway) and a slab of cheese. Then, onto a subway train and a tram as I set out for a day at Oberlaa Therme, Vienna’s thermal baths. (Website) The public transport is so efficient here that I arrived at my destination without confusion or delay.
The tram takes you right to the front door, in fact the tram is named 67 Oberlaa Therme Wien – that’s German precision for you. I walked through a light mist of rain towards a mammoth complex, it’s not like the hot springs at Rye, but it is equally as wonderful. Because of the public transport systems efficiency I arrived a little before 9am, the foyer was open and people were already lining up. The main visitors were retirees getting their weekly dose of exercise and natural therapy. There was also couples with their babies, and some of my own generation.
At the clock approached 9 the anticipation built, there was already thirty people and the attendants at the desk were not letting anyone in early. When it came my time to approach the desk I was given a wrist band, a locker key, and to my surprise did not to pay anything – that was to come later.
The building operated across three levels, the basement is home to all the lockers and changing ‘cabins’, Level 1 has all the action with a vast array of bathing experiences and Level 2 has hundreds of lounges to relax as well as a restaurant and cafe. A shop, hair salon and all means of beautification all exist within the complex.
Now, I walked down a broad staircase into the basement, around a corner and then, aisle after aisle of changing cabins and lockers. My locker was 940, that alone gives you an idea of the somewhat industrialised feeling of this place. I found my locker, nicked into a changing room and then asked myself, is this a bather-on or bathers-off type of place? The boardies went on and that turned out to be the right decision ... it could have gone either way.
Walking up to Level 1 I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had studied the website, and understood that the pools were set in Stones (like zones, but they have philosophical context). It was the start of the day so I thought its probably best to do the most active things now because hopefully later I will be pulled into Zen-like bliss. So, off to the water slides ... I grabbed an inflatable tube to ride down and followed behind a couple of teenagers having a day out. Hahaha. Within moments I was a kid again ... dropped the tube, then down the skinny fast slide ... back up, down again ... I kept going until I was sufficiently dizzy.
Next, diving board? A one metre diving board is not something I have much experience with ... maybe only the memory of being mortally “winded” on a childhood trip to the MSAC in Melbourne. I approached with caution, but before long I had developed a way of entering the water without too much pain.
Then it was off to the whirlpool ... and through a tunnel which connects indoor and outdoor pools ... another water slide ... some time in the lap pool ... then inside to a cave-like pool with bubble-beds and waterfalls ... and so it went, I continued moving from zone to zone, pool to pool ... each experience defined by its own space ... variations in light, water temperature, depths, ceiling heights, water animation, size, shape, materials and people.
Before long I found that Zen-like bliss I had been longing for.
My favourite experience was the Grotto, a zig-zagging tunnel that draws you into its womb-like atmosphere. It has a series of submerged bench seats and lounges which offer you the chance to let your mind wander, or just go completely numb. The water envelopes you as if it was liquid silk and you gently sway to the movement generated by soft underwater jets. As you close your eyes you listen to dampened gurgles and drift away into endless space...
Lunch time approached so I made one last dash to the water playground to see if my heightened state of awareness would help my diving endeavours. Up onto the board, along and jump ... the next thing I remember was slipping through the water, my ears compressing until I gently touched the bottom of the pool (maybe 7 metres below the surface) and slowly made my way up to surface. Success.
Then a few jumps off the 3 and 4 metre platforms and onto lunch. The afternoon was much the same as the morning ... ending in a failed attempt to take some photos of the pools to show you all (I was stopped by an employee protecting the companies image, and visitors privacy). You will have to be content with their website.
On the ride back into Vienna, which is only around 20 minutes away, my muscles were still completely relaxed and my brain was ready for sleep. A few hours later I’ve been able to resist that urge, but I will sleep well tonight. (Or perhaps not, as its St Patricks Day ... but that’s another story)
PS: As I was leaving Oberlaa Therme Wien I handed in my wristband, my hours were tallied and 20 Euros ($30 AUS)later I was on my way.
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