As a stereotypical health science student and a physio, there was no doubt that I won't continue doing sports here. Luckily I had already looked up the possibilities from Maastricht University's webpage in advance. The facilities seemed good in pictures and now, after using the UM sports for two months, there's no need to be disappointed. The card I bought for this semester includes everything from gym to bouldering and it cost a bit over 100 euros.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures from gym but this video is quite good for overall picture about UM sports. Oh how I wish we had the same kind of building also in Jyväskylä... The gym is huge and it has everything from free weights and bars (= the thing you can put some weights, not the place you can order beer. Although I am not sure if the new sports cafe has beer too...) to functional training. Have to try to remember take some pics some day. I feel a bit ashamed due I haven't got the time to try a bit everything, only gym and some group lessons.
From UM sports you can also buy swim entries for a special price. Ten entries cost only 22,50 euros (note this Jyväskylä!) so of course I bought that one too haha. The swimming hall here is called Geusseltbad and it is located quite near my place.
Have to tell about the swimming hall here. I've been there now three or four times and already used to it but when I was there for the first time... well, it was quite interesting. At first, you go to an individual dressing room. Before that I was already confused how come people walk in the corridors wearing their swimming suits between the dressing room and shower. Well, luckily I followed the example and didn't go there only with the towel. Quite quickly I found out that here the habit is a bit different; men and women go to the same showers wearing their swimming suits. Moreover, there are like at least four or more "shower areas" depending which pool you're going. After shower, everyone takes everything with them to the pool and put then to the benches near the pool. The pools are not in the same area (I have no idea can you just switch the pool as you like) and for lane swimming they have different lanes for slow, moderate and fast swimmers. What I also find quite odd is that Geusseltbad has only certain hours for lane swimming and you can't go there when you want even if the hall is open for e.g. recreational swimming (something like more free swimming idk..). The most irritating thing in the whole swimming procedure are the showers, or being more precise the button you have to tap to have water from it. It is so idiotic that the button reacts only if you press it like precisely one second; if you press it too long or short nothing happens and it is sooo lovely to try to make it work if you have shampoo in your head and eyes... Oh well, i am not the only one struggling with that. The locals love them too. Also, even not surprisingly, the best thing in the world after swimming is missing too. Sauna. They have saunas here only in the spas (like whyy?!). But for proper sauna I still have to wait more than three months. Yhyy.
Okay, a couple of pictures to the end again. It was nice weather on weekend and I went for a walk and found some countryside just 10 minutes walking from my place. Felt quite home haha.
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| I can understand why bicycling here is so popular. |
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| Had to eat some ice cream. |
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| Overestimated my powers and this happened a couple weeks ago. Luckily the bike repairer managed to take the broken key part from the lock and I had backup key. |
After the exam I think I write about my studying here a bit more in detail. See ya!
