Session de rattrapage : Bathing beauties

 Ok you guys, I know you're getting sick of my big batch of recently unearthed film photos, so I'm gonna make this a little easier - I'm starting a new post series just for sharing old outfits and other random shit, photos taken on film only, so that you won't feel like I'm wasting your time.

I'm calling this session de rattrapage - it's the French term for when you failed or missed an exam date and need a retake. I find it a more elegant (and slightly guilty) term for catching up.

These photos certainly don't compare to the original Mack Sennett bathing beauties, but they do capture my passion for water and swimming. Maybe it's more beautiful swimmers than bathing beauties (just to be clear the term beautiful is for the photos, not the subject). Which reminds me of this lovely band.

I'm not a very good swimmer by any means, but I just looove being in the water.

This is probably just a lame excuse to show off my uber cool Michael Kors Swimsuit a silly swim cap (going to the pool cultivates good habits like the usefulness of a swim cap).

Lately I started doing a very Parisian/French thing - going to the pool. Aside from the smoking, small portions and copious bike ridding, the secret of slim French women might be going to the pool (and yoga). I mean, nobody here really talks about gym memberships or body building, but they do talk about going to the pool.

It's a really quirky system - every district of the city and the suburbs has a so-called municipal pool. That's right - a place for exercise subsidized by the State.

Sure the rates are decent (5 bucks a go), hours are freaky and don't really work with your schedule, you get kids, jocks and fat old ladies, but for a person who hates sports and exercise (and who's been complaining about looking like a pancake lately while eating her McDonald's), it's a pretty sweet deal. Except when the bitchy old lady from the register tells you she can't give you the discount rate without your actual card despite the fact that you were just there 3 days ago and had your discount card made. I mean, don't these people keep any evidence of people signing up? What if my card gets stolen or lost? You just have to pay the 10euros again in order to get the discounted 3.7euro rate. And of course there's no monthly rate or other discount plan.

Yeah, the joys and wonders of French bureaucracy...

But still, it's good to go and try and swim for an hour in the big boys pool (then sneaking to just float in the kiddy pool when the big one gets overcrowded), coming back stinking of chlorine, starving but happy.

I'm still working on discovering the least crowded hours (quite difficult for a place that only opens 4h/day), but it's a good habit that I'm trying to maintain.

So here are a few shots from last summer of a more happy swimmer in better circumstances (although I wouldn't call killer waves ideal swimming environment).

Do you guys exercise in any way? What do you do to stay in shape?

Oh, I also prolonged the sale for another day, so if you saw something you fancy there's still time to head over to the shop!