Milo, just two years old, is an „old-stager“ by comparison. „I can barely get him out of the water“, says Gitta Landwehr. Only the prospect of a biscuit makes Milo leave the paddling pool eventually. „For my three sons there is nothing better during the summer than visiting the Ennertbad. Even though we moved to Eidorf last year.“ While the older siblings are still in school this morning, the mother and the youngest child are enjoying a little time out from the daily routine.

Pool manager Jürgen Stoll likes hearing so much praise. At the moment the working day still starts quite quiet for himself and his employees. It only gets really busy when the school holidays start. „Now we even have the time to swim a few lengths ourselves, every now and again“, he says. „Before we open the doors in the morning, I enjoy that.“

These days, there is a tight community gathering at the edge of the pool. As soon as the turnstile starts swinging around, the first early swimmers and regulars are swarming in.

„While some want to swim a few lengths before work, others are securing the best spots for the day“, says Stoll, who is in the know. Then, the rush to the 28 sunloungers, placed around the water area, begins. „Within the shortest time, they all get occupied. Like in some holiday places. The towels get spread over the sunloungers to block the best spots.“

Seasonal tickets are particularly popular this year. „With those you can get in and out again several times a day“, says Stoll. Daniel Krug has purchased one. „Together with my friends, we want to do a pool tour through Bonn this summer“, he explains. „I don’t need to go to Spain, since we have beautiful outdoor pools here.“ And there even is a summer holiday atmosphere in the Ennertbad anyway: „With the straw parasols it even looks like a beach in Mallorca.“

Stoll has no reason to complain about this season. „We had no incidents, everything is calm and civilized“, he says, pleased. Just a few slaphappy teenagers needed to be sorted out the other day, he laughs.

Mobile phone photography is not becoming a major issue either. „We are keeping an eye on it not becoming a big deal. But nobody complained so far.“

It’s rarely this relaxed though: On a good day, the pool in Beuel sees 4,000 guests. The biggest day day so far was Corpus Christi last Thursday. That day, 1,100 people passed through the entrance within an hour. „That was a record day“, says Jürgen Stoll.

As far as he is concerned, the summer might as well continue like this. „The weather is ideal“, he says. If it would only rain properly during the nights every now and again, then it would be perfect. „Nature needs water. And we wouldn’t have to water the plants and grass after closing time.“

At 8pm, the bathing fun is over. But that doesn’t mean calling it a day for the pool team. „Until we have cleaned up, which takes one or two hours. None of us goes home before 9.30pm.“

The early swimmers are supposed to arrive to a perfect pool area again the next day.

(Original text: Gabriele Immenkeppel / Translation: Mareike Graepel)