A return to the pool
Comments(0) After a very long time I’ve gone back to the pool, the old faithful – Bazen Ilirija.
What used to be a season opening event for many, many, many…. years was just a vague reflection of its old self. Few swimmers bothered to come, the event itself was postponed because the water temperature was too low for any decent results and the pool, constructed by the legendary Stanko Bloudek in something like 1930s, is anything but modern.
They’ve been announcing a replacement since the days when I was still active in the sport. In 99 they actually promised we’ll be swimming in a new one by the next season… a plaque on the wall is the only reminder of that promise.
I actually like the old lady, more than my “home” pool of Kolezija. True, I probably never swam worth a damn in it but there’s some special aura to it. I can’t really explain it but some might describe it as nostalgia.
I’d say it’s also got something to do with the location between Tivolska & Celovška cesta and Tivoli park. There are also some quirks with the orientation of the pool relative to the sun, the building across the street (now home to British Council) and the trees on the other side that make this a very peculiar place for a competitive swimmer. I don’t believe many ordinary visitors notice such things but it makes a huge difference for us.
I’ll probably be a bit sad when they do actually decide to tear it down and build a new one but show must go on…
anyway, here are the shots
I was always fascinated by fluid dynamics
Peter Mankoè when he was still ahead of the pack
