| ... continuation of previous note.
I thought I heard the lady say the swins (and general recreation)
started at 7:00 pm on Sunday evenings, so about 4:30 in the afternoon,
I gathered a couple of towels, filled the car with gas and headed off
to Montreal, about a 2 hour drive from Ottawa.
In the last note I gave the address, but at the time I left the
house, I really had no idea where I was going. About 1 and 1/2 hours
into the trip, I was on the outskirts of Montreal and stopped at a gas
station to pick up a map of the city. Damn! Just my luck! there were
5 Laurier Streets in Montreal.... which one could it be ?
I got the phone number for the center from directory assistance and
called. The woman who answered only spoke French, but after about 10
minutes she found someone who could speak English, and he gamve me
directions. From there, it was actually quite easy to find the place,
except that on the map it showed Laurier Str. on the left, and I found
it on the right. After roaming the area for a while, I stopped at
another gas station and go further directions. Glad I didn't take his
advice or I'm sure I would have been lost! Only 20' away from the gas
station, I found the continuation of Laurier on the left side of
Papineau. Near the end of the dead-end street, I had finally arrived.
Time: 7:30 pm.
When I entered the front doors of the building, a sign greeted me,
showing directions to the radiology lab, to the patients rooms, etc.
Was I in a hospital? I glanced to the right and a young woman
commissionaire asked me in French what I was looking for. I stumbled
for the words in French, and she re-phrased her question. All I caught
was the last word "naturiste". Yes, Yes!, I said, that's it! She
pointed down the hall and to the right. Sure enough, a bunch of naked
people stood before my eyes. A definite reassurance I was in the right
place!
The cost to get in was $6 per person. Children under 18 when
accompanied by an adult get in for free. Since it was my first visit,
I was allowed in, but next time I go, I have to fill out a 'passport'
(membership) and include $25 for the year.
The place was ideal! They had 4 locker rooms, 2 for men and 2
for women, but you just pick whatever one you want. Each had toilets,
sinks, showers, lockers, and blowdryers. A large heated indoor pool
and very large hot-tub (but part of the pool) were at one end. After
shedding unwanted clothing, I sat on a chair for a short while and
watched the children playing on a floater in the pool with their
father. They were having such a good time! After a quick dip, I went
off to see what else they had, and found a volleyball court (with game
in progress), a badminton court, squash court, a table with Naturism
literature, magazines, papers, and even texts, another table with
help-yourself coffee and other refreshments, and a smoking area just
down the hall. They also have massage therapy, but the masseuse was
away on Sunday, but I was assured she would be back next week. (I'm
really into massage therapy, so I'm looking forward to my next trip
back).
I was a bit surprised at the number of men that were there. They
outnumbered the women about 10 to 1, so with about 70 people there
throughout the evening, I think there were no more than 7-10 women.
The federation allows single men to join, whereas in most resorts you'd
likely be screened very closely if not with a female companion.
Although I admit I went for the naturism aspect, I was still
disheartened by the lack of female interst in naturism.
All-in-all, I had a great time. Everyone was very friendly, and
if they didn't speak English - then they just smiled a lot :-)
Can't wait till next time.
Darrell
|