Unaware of the danger yet to come, Gabriela banters with Richard about the Riviera beaches. She says, “Have you been to the beaches yet?” she asked, as they began bordering the bay.
“Yes. It was one of the first things I did.”
“Enjoy the view?” A smile tugged at her lips.
Richard’s eyes danced with humor. “That, too. Mainly though, I enjoyed the sun. It may be the end of June, but the water here is damn cold.”
Gabriela goes on to explain a paragraph later that she doesn’t go to the beaches until late August, agreeing with him about the water.
This small anecdote I nipped from my own experiences in the region. The water in that part of the Mediterranean is really, really cold, 68-77ºF (20-25ºC), especially to us Southern Birds. Also, Nice has a very rocky beach, which makes it uncomfortable, except if you want to sunbathe. Of course, in Europe, the women bathe topless, so the view for my husband and two boys was a nice experience. To get sand, you would have to go to the very small beaches at Antibes, Cannes, and Beaulieu, and they get extremely crowded during the summer. So, basically, we seldom went to the beaches there. I am posting a photo of the beach in Nice and another of the rocky sand. You have to wear plastic shoes in order to go into the ocean, if not, your feet suffer. No nice view for the males of the species in these photos.
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| The beach along the Promenade des Anglais, with a beautiful backdrop of Nice. |
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| The rocks instead of sand. They go all the way into the water. We wore rubber shoes, similar to today’s crocs, in order to go into the ocean without killing your feet. |
