This morning, 7th April, 2012, we headed of to Nemo33 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemo_33.
As stated on that Wiki page, it is the deepest indoor dive pool in the world. So, not just the deepest one in Brussels. BELGIUM
I had a diving lesson gift voucher and, it also included a discount of €10 at the restaurant if spending more than €25. The car park was free. There is also a bar and a dive shop and this includes a sort of mini museum.
I had never done any diving before. Not even snorkeling and this was also my first time with flippers, but, when ever I was abroad by a nice beach, I did wonder about what is involved.
Apart from that, although I have done a lot of experimental swimming and can do as I like in the water I found that flippers are quite a challenge in terms of maneuverability.
When picking out the flippers, I was advised to choose a size one size smaller than my usual footwear.
It was also my first time with the mask. My own goggles don't cover my mouth. This seemed strange at first.
NOTE: If you wish to bring along your own equipment, I strongly suggest you contact them before hand to ask about that. I noticed some people being told they couldn't bring in this, that, or the other.
We were not supplied with a wet suit either. I just had on my usual swimming trunks. Again, if you have a wet suit, you might need to ask about it beforehand. I don't recall anyone in one.
The grounds around the building are looking a bit neglected. No problem, I wasn't there to admire the dandelions. The reception is just in the door and to the right. They speak French and Dutch, but English is not a problem. I noticed cars with registration plates from further a field, so I don't know how many other languages they might cater for.
The lesson was very nice. Very relaxed (in English). One to one (there was also a large group there at the time too) I have nothing to compare it with but I was very happy with it. Meanwhile, my wife took some photos. She could see the divers from both the restaurant and the large screens in the bar. My camera was set to "museum", so all movement is instantly blurry.
The water temperature was also delightfully comfortable.
Only snags were; there was no hook to hang my coat on in the toilets/WC next to the bar and the changing room locker (#17) that I just happened to choose was out of order. A fact I only discovered after it had already taken my one and only (€) 50 cent piece. (non-refundable) Two other guys tried to assist, but they too had to give up. One of them seemed to think he had a few tricks up his sleeve to get the key to turn. Another guy was also struggling with his locker and I got the impression from all this that such problems are a common occurrence; so, here's a tip: Bring a few 50 cent pieces with you. By the way, the men's changing area is communal; as are the showers. I left my stuff... wallet et all in an unlocked locker. I wasn't too worried, because I had noticed that access to the locker rooms are quite restricted. On return it was all still there.
Oh, yes! There is even a suggestion box next to the reception; but, no handy pen and paper around... urm...
As for the restaurant; http://www.nemo33.com/en/food/restaurant-thai this was a delight. As you'll see it's in French and Dutch. No English and no pictures (-:
The food is Thai food, but referred to as Thai-Chinese by the staff member we asked. I opted for a dish with yellow curry. There were dishes with red curry or green curry too. I don't know the difference.
But for me, the best was the "Dame Blanche" that I asked for. This ice-cream was pure pleasure; its served temperature was perfect; the hot chocolate sauce was delicious and the flavour of the ice-cream itself was quite subtle. My desert even came with a little Coté de Or chocolate bar; my wife had opted for the trio of sorbet; Wow, such quality; I haven't ever tasted sorbet at that level of quality before. The coffee was stronger than the coffee we had at the bar on our arrival, which was much earlier than planned due to the absence of road works we had expected to encounter.
I don't normally drink much alcohol, but can at least handle an aperitif... not this time. I don't know if that was because of the dive, but, by way of interest, I noticed some advice on a large, multi-language (inc. English) board in the pool area and gathered from it that it can be dangerous to travel by plane after a dive. I forget if it mentioned how long an interval between dive and flight and forgot to ask. I haven't managed to retrieve that nugget of information from their website.
Other website of possible interest (sorry, not in English) http://www.verkeerscentrum.be/verkeersinfo/nieuws (traffic, road works etc)
And lastly, my GPS recognised the Dutch version of Nemo33's street name address ("Stallestraat" 333) , but not the French version, "Rue de Stalle". read more
