On Friday the kids had a day off school so we went to Pirabadet, Scandinavia’s largest swimming pool! There were several pools with different depths, water slides, jets, hot tubs in each pool area, rock climbing wall, crazy diving platforms, wave pool, loads of fun. It seemed to be salt water, and pleasantly warm, so it was comfortable and easy to float.
We arrived early to avoid the crowds, and by afternoon it was overrun with bands of teenagers showing off. Fun people watching too. There were many families with babies on up to big kids, with parents in the pools with kids. It was warm enough inside that coming in and out of pools and slides was comfortable.
Nora loved the rock climbing wall, which was a lot of work because it was too deep for her to touch there, so she was swimming/treading water or climbing continuously. She practiced going off the lowest diving board several times then tried to go off the first platform, but she couldn’t get herself to do it. She went up several times and got to the edge and backed out. She really wanted to, but just wasn’t ready yet. I don’t blame her, I wouldn’t do it! 
Anders pushed his boundaries again and went of the highest platform–it was hard to watch him do it! See the pictures for perspective, it was higher than one story. He was sore coming out after hitting the water (biggest wedgsticle ever).
In the first picture here, Anders is on the 2nd platform. The 2nd picture gives a perspective of just how high the tallest one is–and he jumped off! They didn’t seem to have many lifeguards or staff around, but they only allowed people to go off the highest platforms with a staff person up there telling people when it was safe to jump. Thank goodness.
They had a restaurant upstairs, but it was nice that they let you bring in your own food. We brought our lunch, as most families did. It was reasonably priced by Norway standards, more expensive than a swimming pool but less expensive than a water park in the US (it was around $60 for all of us all day, if we wanted to stay until closing time. Families got a small discount per person).
The big windows face the fjord, so you can sit in the comfortable water and enjoy the view of the waves and sky outside. Sometimes the sun was shining, and in the picture you can see Munkholm lit up in the sun. It is a small island that was once a Viking execution site, then a monastery (Monk Home), and now you can take a ferry out there in the summer to have a picnic on the beach, sunbathe, and check out the historic buildings.
Throughout the day, the fog rolled in and out, cruise ships and the Hurtigurten came and went. Just sitting in a hot tub in front of the big windows would be a fine way to spend a day. We were all tired and slept well that night!
